MANILA, Philippines (Updated 5:05 p.m.) — Coronavirus infections in the Philippines surged past 106,000 Monday after the Department of Health reported another huge increase in the number of additional cases.
The Department of Health logged 3,226 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 106,330. The Philippines has the second highest number of cases in Southeast Asia after Indonesia and has had more infections than mainland China, where the pandemic emerged.
Related Stories
Around 48% of newly-announced cases were from Metro Manila, which will return to modified enhanced community quarantine for at least two weeks beginning Tuesday after the surge in infections overwhelmed the country’s health system.
Cebu province accounted for 503 of these infections, followed by Laguna with 181, Rizal with 158 and Cavite with 129.
The day before, the country logged a record-high 5,032 coronavirus infections.
The number of active cases or patients who are currently ill stood at 38,405. Nine out of 10 active cases are considered mild.
The DOH also registered 275 additional recoveries, raising the total number of COVID-19 survivors to 65,821. Recoveries accounted for 62% of the nation’s caseload.
But the death toll also rose to 2,104 after 46 more patients died from the severe respiratory illness.
The agency said it had removed 81 duplicates from the total case count.
MECQ in Metro Manila, nearby areas
President Rodrigo Duterte put Metro Manila and the provinces of Laguna, Cavite, Rizal and Bulacan under MECQ from August 4 to August 18 to give exhausted health workers a breather following a renewed surge of COVID-19 cases since most of the economy reopened last June.
Experts from the University of the Philippines said the two-week reimposition of stricter quarantine in and around the capital may reduce the projected number of infections by at least 50,000.
Under MECQ, only authorized persons outside of residence will be allowed to go out of their homes. A limited number of industries are permitted to operate and public transportation will be suspended.
Aside from heightened restrictions, health workers also appealed to the government to recalibrate its strategy against COVID-19.
Some 1.467 million people have been tested for coronavirus in the country.
The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 689,000 people worldwide since it emerged in China late last year, with nearly 18.08 million infected.