MANILA, Philippines (Updated 4:53 p.m.) — The Philippines surpassed 153,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus Friday after registering 6,216 new infections, the Department of Health said.
This is the second highest number of additional cases recorded in a single-day. The country reported the biggest daily increase—6,901 cases—on August 10.
The country’s caseload now stands at 153,660 with 79,813 classified as active cases or patients who are still infected with the virus.
Researchers from the University of the Philippines and the University of Santo Tomas previously projected that the country’s cases may reach 150,000 by the end of August.
The regions with the highest number of newly-reported cases include Metro Manila with 3,848, Laguna with 302, Rizal with 242, Cavite with 240 and Bulacan with 178.
Recoveries, meanwhile, climbed to 71,405 after 1,038 more COVID-19 survivors were logged.
But 16 more coronavirus-related fatalities were recorded, raising the death toll to 2,442.
The country has been seeing massive increases in daily cases following the easing of containment measures and the reopening of the economy in June.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said working people make up the bulk of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country.
“The drivers of infection are those who go out of their homes and when they return, they will bring infection to their homes,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino Friday.
Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces were placed under modified enhanced community quarantine until August 18 in a bid to give swamped health workers a breather and recalibrate the government’s pandemic response. Malacañang said the extension of MECQ is “highly unlikely” as the government struggles to provide assistance for the poor.
Over 1.829 million individuals have been tested for coronavirus in the country.
The novel coronavirus has killed at least 752,000 since the outbreak emerged in China late last year. Over 20.75 million cases of COVID-19 have been registered.