DOH records 343 new COVID-19 cases as more are tested
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health on Sunday recorded 343 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the department's official count to a new high of 1,418.
The total number of deaths has also risen to 71 while the recoveries jumped to 42.
This brings the number of active cases to 1,305.
Increases in the national total of the virus' carriers as of late have been linked to the arrival of newly-donated testing kits and the opening of new laboratories bolstering the country's processing capacity.
Still, past data has shown that the Philippines has significantly lagged behind its peers in this category, with only one in every 100,000 Filipinos having been tested for the virus, a number expected to be lifted in the coming weeks.
“More samples are being tested now so we can expect that there will be an increase in the number of new cases in the coming days,” Health Undersecretary Rosette Vergeire said in an online media briefing on Saturday.
“It’s much better that we find out who the positive cases are so they can be given immediate treatment.”
Luzon is entering its third week under enhanced community quarantine, which has severely restricted movement and has largely left the vulnerable grappling with uncertainty.
READ: Told to stay home, Filipino poor go out to work absent government aid | Social distancing's victims: In a Luzon quarantine, the disabled are mostly forgotten
On Saturday night, the Health Department recorded the country's biggest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases as the nationwide total swelled to a high of 1,075 patients after 272 more were confirmed that day.
Worldwide, 662,967 have been infected with the new virus while 30,851 lives were claimed according to data from Worldometers as of Sunday morning.
The United Nations has warned the international community that the "whole of humanity" was put at risk by the novel coronavirus, saying millions could day if collective action was not taken. — with reports from Ratziel San Juan and Gaea Katreena Cabico
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