BREAKING: COVID-19 cases near 7,000; recoveries now at 722 — DOH

MANILA, Philippines — Nearly 7,000 individuals in the country have contracted the virus that causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as the Department of Health (DOH) recorded 271 additional cases on Thursday.

The total of confirmed cases of the disease is currently at 6,981, as of April 23.

Twenty-nine additional patients were also recorded to recuperate from the disease, allowing the total of recoveries to reach 722.

The country’s death toll is already at 462 with 16 more patients dying due to COVID-19.

The health department earlier said that while the COVID-19 curve is yet to flatten, there are already “indications” that the increase of new cases has started to decline.

READ: COVID-19 case hike slowing down, no flattening of curve yet – DOH

This was seen in the slowing down of the spread of the novel coronavirus as interpreted from the rate of “doubling time” of cases, which was down to a five-day rate from the previous three-day rate.

READ: COVID-19 spread slows down as DOH notes easing up of ‘doubling time’

Despite the slowdown of the spread, the DOH earlier warned the public not to be complacent and still practice non-pharmaceutical measures against COVID-19, such as physical distancing, the wearing of face masks, frequent hand-washing, and disinfection of surfaces usually touched.