Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 13) — The country’s coronavirus cases climbed to 11,618 on Wednesday, after the Department of Health confirmed 268 new infections.
Metro Manila recorded the most number of new infections with 165, followed by Central Visayas with 58.
A total of 2,251 patients have also recovered from COVID-19, as 145 more people have survived the viral illness. Total recoveries currently account for around 20 percent of the total number of cases.
The Health department also announced 21 more fatalities, raising the death toll to 772.
Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire earlier said the surge in the tally of confirmed cases is due to the country’s increased testing capacity. To date, the DOH has accredited 28 laboratories to perform coronavirus testing—still 50 facilities short of the government’s goal to operate 78 by the end of May.
Vergeire also reiterated that the basis to determine if the spread of the virus has slowed is the positivity rate, or the ratio of those who test positive for COVID-19 out of the total number of tests performed.
She added that the DOH will make available to the public a real-time positivity trend chart starting Wednesday to show whether or not the rate of infections has been slowing.
On Tuesday, high-risk areas Metro Manila, Laguna province, and Cebu City were placed under “modified” enhanced community quarantine from May 16 to May 31.
The government announced a list of industries which have been cleared to reopen on partial operations, as it hopes to gradually reopen the economy after a two-month shutdown.
Globally, over 4.2 million people so far have been infected with the viral illness. More than 290,000 of these cases resulted in death, while nearly 1.5 million patients have already recovered.
READ: LIST: Businesses allowed to reopen in Metro Manila, areas under modified ECQ by May 16A
Infected healthcare workers
The DOH also confirmed that 58 more healthcare workers have contracted the virus, bringing the total number of infected to 2,125.
This means around 18 percent of COVID-19 patients in the country are medical frontliners.
There are also now 669 health workers who have recovered, while the death toll remains at 35.
Despite the increase, the DOH maintained that the rate of infection among health workers continues to follow a downward trend since April 11, adding that the agency’s prevention methods have been “effective” in protecting frontliners.
Based on the department’s data, the top five medical professions infected with virus are nurses, physicians, nursing assistants, medical technologists, and radiologic technologists.
Cases among Filipinos abroad
Meanwhile, recoveries among Filipinos abroad have reached 757, after the Department of Foreign Affairs announced 88 more recoveries.
An additional 77 more have been infected, bringing the new total to 2,310. Eight more have died, for a total of 269 fatalities.
Filipino COVID-19 cases have been reported in 46 countries or regions worldwide. Europe has the highest number with 682 cases. Next are the 673 cases in the Middle East/Africa, 534 in the Americas, and 421 in Asia Pacific.
