MANILA, Philippines — Another 215 persons in the country have contracted the novel coronavirus disease raising the total number of cases to 12,091, the Department of Health (DOH) reported Friday.
DOH also said that COVID-19 has now killed 806 people in the country as it recorded 16 more deaths, even as 123 more persons were able to recover from the disease, raising the number of recoveries to 2,460.
Of the 215 new cases, 144 are from the National Capital Region, two are from Region 7, and the remaining 69 are from the remaining parts of the country, the DOH said.
The number of COVID-19 cases in the country breached the 12,000 mark one day before easing quarantine protocols in different parts of the country.
The quarantine in place in Metro Manila—where more than half of the new cases are from—will be eased to modified enhanced community quarantine starting May 16.
COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2, which outbreak 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.