MANILA, Philippines — The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines rose further to 13,597 as the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed 163 new infections on Friday.
Of the new cases, 91 were recorded in Metro Manila, 56 came from Region VII and 16 were from different regions
DOH also announced 92 new recoveries. This brings the total number of recovered patients in the country to 3,092.
Meanwhile, 11 more people succumbed to the respiratory illness, bringing the total death toll to 857.
The DOH earlier confirmed that the country is still on the first wave of COVID-19 infections, which is “driven by local transmission.”
This came after Health Secretary Francisco Duque III announced in a Senate hearing Wednesday that the Philippines is now experiencing its second wave of infection.
The department noted that the wave peaked on March 31 with 538 cases recorded in a single day, and has “started to flatten” with the number of daily infections declining.
To date, over five million people worldwide have been infected with the novel coronavirus, which was first detected in Hubei, China late last.