BREAKING: Over 600 COVID-19 patients recover in PH – DOH

MANILA, Philippines – The number of recoveries from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surpassed the 600th mark, totaling to 613 as of Monday, April 20.

The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday recorded 41 new recoveries, and 200 new confirmed cases of the disease in the country, raising the total to 6,459.

Meanwhile, 19 patients succumbed to the disease, bringing the death toll to 428.

Over 2.4 million individuals across the globe are currently afflicted with COVID-19, nearly 800,000 of which are located in the United States, while 198,000 are in Spain.

The global death toll of the disease is now at 165,273. The most number of deaths were recorded in Italy with 23,660 fatalities, followed by Spain with 20,453 deaths.

Meanwhile, over 628,000 patients were able to beat COVID-19, 91,500 of which were from Germany, and over 77,000 were from China.

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2, the outbreak of which started in China’s Wuhan City in Hubei province in late 2019.

For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.