FOR the third time in four days, deaths from the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) surged past the century mark as 158 more succumbed to the deadly virus and raised the death toll in the country past the 23,000 mark, according to the Department of Health.
In its latest bulletin, the DOH said 23,121 Filipinos have lost their lives to the unseen but deadly enemy for a case fatality rate of 1.73 while the number of infections rose to 1,332,832 after 5,414 new cases were reported.
The Philippines remained second behind Indonesia in Southeast Asia in terms of fatalities from the virus.
Last Sunday, there were 137 deaths, 57 last Monday, and 118 last Tuesday.
The new cases do not include figures from six laboratories that failed to submit data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System (CDRS) last June 14.
Active cases dropped to 56,170 from 58,063 last Tuesday, with 91.4 percent mild cases, 4 percent asymptomatic cases, 1.9 percent severe cases, 1.3 percent critical cases, and 1.3 percent moderate cases.
There were 7,637 more recoveries, raising the number of survivors to 1,253,541. The DOH said this means that 94.1 percent of patients had recovered.
The Department of Foreign Affairs reported two new COVID-19 cases among overseas Filipinos, raising the overall number to 20,276.
The DFA reported no new fatality or recovery among overseas Filipinos.
The current death toll stands at 1,219 while 12,085 have recovered from the deadly virus.
The DFA data also showed 6,972 overseas are Filipinos still recuperating from the virus.
Meanwhile, Mayor Larry Alilio of Lemery town in Batangas said he has tested positive for COVID-19 and appealed to all who had been in close contact with him to go on 14-day quarantine.
“I am saddened to report to you that I tested positive in the said test so I’m asking those who got in contact with me to go on self quarantine for 14 days,” Alilio said, adding he was tested recently.
“Of the many challenges that I faced, I surpassed them all. You COVID, I won’t lose to you,” he said.
As of last Tuesday, the town has registered a total of 856 COVID-19 cases, with 54 still active cases, while 775 have recovered and 27 have died.
The Armed Forces has already recorded a total of 12,302 COVID-19 cases among its officers and men.
Navy Capt. Jonathan Zata, chief of the AFP public affairs office, said 553 of these are active cases while 30 have died.
Zata said there are currently 238 suspected cases and 187 probable cases in the AFP, all of them on quarantine. — With Ashzel Hachero and Victor Reyes
