Philippines’ COVID-19 tally breaches 139,000 with 2,987 new cases

The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday announced 2,987 new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), bringing the country’s tally to 139,538.

The bulk of the new cases were still recorded in Metro Manila at 1,510, followed by Cavite with 398 new infections, Laguna with 144, Iloilo with 135, and Cebu with 119.

Among the newly reported cases, 1,374 caught COVID-19 between July 29 and August 11, 1,591 got the virus from July 1 to 28, while the rest got sick from March to June.

The total number of recoveries also rose to 68,432 after 280 more patients recovered from the respiratory illness, while the death toll climbed to 2,312 with 19 new fatalities.

Eight of the newly reported deaths occurred in August, seven in July, one in June, while the three other cases died in April.

There are also 68,794 active cases undergoing treatment or quarantine, still the highest across Southeast Asia.

The DOH said figures reported on Tuesday were based on data submitted by 74 out of the 99 operational laboratories.

The department also removed 87 duplicate cases from the total tally of infections.

As of August 10, the Philippines had 77 certified polymerase chain reaction facilities and 24 GeneXpert laboratories that had tested a total of 1,701,234 individuals.

Meanwhile, 54 percent of intensive care unit beds for COVID-19 patients nationwide were occupied while 32 percent of mechanical ventilators were in use.—LDF, GMA News