COVID-19 cases soar to over 182,000; 4,786 new infections recorded

MANILA, Philippines — The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the Philippines have reached over 182,000 after the Department of Health (DOH) logged 4,786 new infections.

As of August 21, DOH said there are now 182,365 COVID-19 cases in the country, of which 64,906 are considered active cases.

DOH said 91.5 percent of the active cases are considered mild, 6.5 percent are asymptomatic, 1.2 percent are critical, and 0.8 percent are severe.

Further, of the newly announced cases, 2,716 came from the National Capital Region; 267 from Cavite; 222 from Laguna; 185 from Batangas; and 185 from Rizal.

Meanwhile, the DOH recorded 616 new recoveries, bringing the total number of recoveries in the country to 114,519.

The death toll is now at 2,940 after 59 more patients succumbed to the disease.

DOH said 2,087,676 people have been tested for COVID-19 as of August 20.

The coronavirus disease outbreak first emerged in Wuhan City, Hubei province of China in late December last year.

COVID-19 causes mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough for most people. However, older adults and people with underlying health issues may experience more serious illnesses including pneumonia and death. [ac]