MANILA, Philippines — Increased contact among the population as a result of the relaxation of quarantine measures is causing a surge in new coronavirus cases in the country, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Sunday.
The DOH reported a record-high 2,434 additional coronavirus infections, pushing the nationwide total to 44,254.
“As the country continues to ease community quarantine measures, the rise in the number of cases today may be attributed to the increased contact among the population,” it said in a statement.
Metro tops list
Of the additional cases, 1,147 were “fresh,” or patients who tested positive for the new coronavirus in the last three days, and 1,287 were “late,” or people who tested positive four days ago or earlier.
The DOH said Sunday’s “fresh” cases were based on the daily accomplishment reports submitted by 58 of the 73 testing laboratories currently operating.
Of the fresh cases, 440 were from Metro Manila, 364 from Central Visayas, 336 spread out across the country, and seven were repatriates.
The DOH also reported that 489 more patients had recovered, bringing the total number of COVID-19 survivors to 11,942.
But the death toll increased to 1,297 with the deaths of seven more patients. Six of the fatalities died in June, the DOH said.
The department appealed to the public to help stem the rise in infections by observing preventive measures such as wearing protective masks, physical distancing and frequent hand-washing.
Stay at home
It advised people to avoid unnecessarily leaving their homes to help curb the transmission of the virus.
The DOH also called on businesses to implement minimum health standards on their premises and immediately report clustering of infections in offices.