PH’s COVID-19 tally tops 65,000; DOH logs 2,357 new cases

MANILA, Philippines — The number of coronavirus disease cases in the country surpassed 65,000 as of July 18, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

The nationwide count now stands at 65,304, including 2,357 new patients, according to DOH’s latest report.

DOH said 1,175 of the new cases are tagged as “fresh” while 1,182 are labeled as “late”.

Also, DOH noted that of the 2,537 additional patients, 1,824 cases from the National Capital Region while 105 are from Laguna.

DOH also reported that 321 more were able to survive COVID-19, increasing sum recoveries to 22,067 and that 113 additional patients have died from the disease, raising the death toll to 1,773.

Meanwhile, DOH said the country’s accredited COVID-19 laboratories remain at 66. This includes the 22 laboratories that use GeneXpert test kits.

The novel coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2, which causes the respiratory illness COVID-19, first emerged in Wuhan City, Hubei province of China late last year.

It causes mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough for most people. However, senior citizens and people with existing health issues may experience more serious illness including pneumonia, and death.

KGA