181 new COVID-19 deaths; death count now at 21,537

(FILE) Workers in protective suits wait outside a crematorium facility as the cremation process takes some two hours in Manila on April 29, 2020. (Photo by Maria TAN / AFP)

MANILA, Philippines — Another 181 people have died of COVID-19 complications, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday.

This brings the coronavirus death toll to 21,537, representing 1.72 percent of the 1.25 million total confirmed cases in the country.

Of the confirmed cases, over 60,000 are active cases, including 1.6 percent that are severe and 1.3 percent that are critical cases.

Case bulletins from the DOH showed a total of 974 deaths reported over the past seven days, or an average of 139 new deaths logged from May 29 to June 4.

Meanwhile, there are 843 deaths reported by the health agency from May 22 to 28, or an average of 120 deaths.

On Thursday, the DOH said the total number of COVID-19 deaths from March to May makes up 30 percent of the total number of fatalities since the pandemic started last year.

However, the health department clarified that the high death count for the recent months is “not unusual” as cases have peaked during the surge of infections in April.

/MUF