Philippines Reports 1,509 New Coronavirus Cases, Lowest Daily Count in Month

MANILA – The Philippines recorded 1,509 new coronavirus infections, bringing the number of cases nationwide to 362,243, daily government statistics showed on Wednesday.

The new figure, which is based on 136 labs after 13 others failed to submit their data on time, is the lowest daily count since Sept. 7. This also marked the fifth day in a row that new cases accounted for fewer than 3,000.

The virus that causes the disease, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, has claimed 60 more lives in the Philippines, according to the Department of Health (DOH). The death toll stood at 6,747.

Total recoveries have risen to 311,506, 911 more than the previous day. These include mild and asymptomatic patients who have completed a 2-week quarantine.

Meanwhile, those still sick with the new coronavirus in the country are 43,990, among the highest active cases in the Southeast Asian region.

Of the recently reported cases, 83 were from Rizal, 82 from Cavite, 66 from Manila, 65 from Baguio City and 57 from Iloilo City. The health department has recently included cities in the notification of new infections to ensure a rapid response against the virus.

More than 40.7 million worldwide have contracted COVID-19, according to a tally by the United States-based Johns Hopkins University, and the United States, India, Brazil, Russia and Argentina have the highest number of cases.

Since the pandemic began, more than 1.1 million have died and 27.9 million have recovered.