The Department of Health (DoH) reported 3,714 coronavirus infections on Friday, bringing the total to 232,072.
The death toll increased from 49 to 3737 while recoveries increased from 1088 to 160,549, he said in a bulletin.
There were 67,786 active cases, of which 90. 7% were mild, 6. 9% asymptomatic, 0. 9% severe and 1. 4% critical.
The Manila Metropolitan Area recorded the number of new instances with 1,797, followed by Western Negros with 390, Batangas with 248, Laguna with 247 and Cavite with 150, DoH said.
Of the new reported deaths, 31 were from the Manila metropolitan area, seven from downtown Visayas and 3 from downtown Luzon and the Calabarzon region, the firm said.
One death for each recorded in the western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, northern Mindanao, Davao region and Mimaropa region.
More than 2. 56 million have been tested for the COVID-19 virus, he said.
Coronavirus has made another 26. 4 million people sick and killed some 900,000 people worldwide, according to the Worldometer website, which collects sources and adds knowledge from the World Health Organization (WHO). Approximately 18. 6 million other people have recovered, he said.
Meanwhile, doH said clinical trials for Japanese flu drug Avigan this month could begin as a treatment for coronavirus.
The undersecretary of health, María Rosario S. Vergeire, said the clinical trial agreement is being finalized through the agency’s legal department.
The insurance policy for test players under review and the database containing the main player points and tracking the effects of the drug are also being prepared, he said at an online press conference.
Nearly a hundred patients between the ages of 18 and 74 were expected to participate in the trials, which did not begin as planned on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, there are two clinical trials with virgin coconut oil as a remedy for COVID-19, Vergeire said.
The first at the Sta. Rosa Community Hospital began in May and will end on December 31, while the time at the Philippine General Hospital began on June 1 and will end on May 31. – Vann Marlo M. Villegas