Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 12) — The number of patients who have survived COVID-19 has now surpassed 2,000 as the Department of Health recorded 107 new recoveries on Tuesday.
The total number of recovered patients is now at 2,106.
Meanwhile, 264 new infections have been recorded by the DOH, as the country’s total rises to 11,350.
Metro Manila remains to have the most number of new infections daily, with 165 being registered in the latest data by the Health department. This is followed by Central Visayas with 74 new cases, while 25 more have been recorded in other regions nationwide.
The Health department also announced 25 more fatalities, bringing the death toll to 751.
According to DOH data, the majority of COVID-19 patients in the country exhibit mild symptoms, and the average hospital length of stay for recovered patients is at 15 days. Around 55 percent of deaths also had known comorbidities, with the top two being hypertension and diabetes.
Amid the continued rise in COVID-19 cases in certain high-risk areas, the government on Tuesday afternoon placed Metro Manila, Laguna province, and Cebu City under “modified” enhanced community quarantine from May 16 to May 31.
Under the modified ECQ, authorities will allow limited movement for obtaining essential services and work, 50 percent operation of selected manufacturing and processing plants, and limited transportation for essential goods and services.
Vergeire added that starting Wednesday, the DOH will make available to the public a real-time positivity trend chart to show whether or not the rate of infections has been slowing.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque described the modified lockdown as a “transition phase” from a strict enhanced community quarantine to a relaxed general community quarantine.
READ: LIST: What daily life would be like in areas under modified ECQ, GCQ, and no quarantine
According to COVID-19 Response Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez, this gradual transition to GCQ is important because of the blow of the coronavirus crisis to the country’s economy.
Citing the need for more aggressive testing to immediately identify and isolate those infected, Galvez also earlier announced the government’s plan to operate a total of 78 accredited COVID-19 testing centers by the end of May, to augment the country’s daily testing capacity to 30,000.
To date, only 28 laboratories across the country have been licensed by the DOH to perform real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing for coronavirus.
Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire in a media briefing online said that the surge in the tally of confirmed cases is due to the country’s increased testing capacity.
She reiterated that the basis to determine if the spread of the virus has slowed is the positivity rate. This is the ratio of those who test positive for COVID-19 out of the total number of tests performed.
As the whole world transitions into a “new normal,” health officials continue to remind the public to adhere to health protocols and exercise preventive measures. These include proper hygiene, wearing of face masks, physical distancing, cough etiquette, and regular disinfection of frequently used items.
READ: Rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases vs. individuals tested drops by 7 percent in May
Globally, over 4.2 million people have so far been infected with the viral illness. Around 290,000 of these cases resulted in death, while more than 1.4 million patients have already recovered.
Cases among Filipinos overseas
Meanwhile, 38 more Filipinos abroad have been infected with the viral disease, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.
This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases among Filipinos overseas to 2,233.
The latest data also registered 25 new recoveries, with the total now at 669, which is nearly 30 percent of confirmed cases. One more died, bringing the total number of fatalities to 261, the DFA added.
Filipino COVID-19 cases have been reported in 46 countries or regions worldwide. Europe has the highest number with 668 cases. Next are the 643 cases in the Middle East/Africa, 529 in the Americas, and 393 in Asia Pacific.
