Coronavirus infections in Philippines near 140,000-mark

Kristine Sabillo, ABS-CBN News Posted at Aug 11 2020 04:09 PM MANILA — Nearly 140,000 coronavirus infections have been recorded in the Philippines as the country's health department reported 2,987 additional cases on Tuesday. On Monday, the government reported a record-high of 6,958 new cases in a single day. In its latest bulletin, the Department of Health (DOH) said the cumulative total of COVID-19 cases in the country has reached 139,538, of which, 68,794 are active. Active cases refer to patients who are still infected with COVID-19 and are staying either in the hospital or under home quarantine. The total number of recoveries went up by 280 to 68,432. With 19 new COVID-related fatalities, the death toll climbed as well to 2,312. The Philippines has been logging at least 3,000 additional cases since July 30, following the easing of quarantine measures and the gradual opening up of the economy. It is leading among Southeast Asian countries in the number of total and active infections, and has surpassed the total cases in mainland China where the outbreak originated. Concerns from medical societies and health workers groups prompted the government to impose stricter quarantine measures in Metro Manila and nearby provinces for two weeks until Aug. 18. The Department of Health said this “timeout” will be used to recalibrate the country’s COVID-19 response. Earlier, researchers from the University of the Philippines and the University of Santo Tomas estimate that the country's COVID-19 cases may reach 150,000 by the end of August. The country recorded its first case of the disease on Jan. 30 in a Chinese woman who arrived from Wuhan City, China, where the novel coronavirus is believed to have been first detected late last year.

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