THE Department of Health reported 1,395 new coronavirus infections on Thursday, bringing the total to 51,754.

The death toll remained at 1,314, while recoveries climbed by 225 to 12,813, it said in a bulletin.

Of the new cases, 1,184 were reported in the past three days, while 211 were reported late, the agency said.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire said at an online briefing 889,066 tests have conducted covering 825,139 people.

The nation’s average daily testing capacity hit 19,459 in the first week of July. The infection rate remained at 7.5%.

“The increase has been gradual and our healthcare system has been able to cope with the increasing number of cases,” Ms. Vergeire said. It now takes 8 days for COVID-19 cases to double, she added.

The Health department said 488 cases of clustering were reported nationwide — 46 in health facilities, 24 in jails, 379 in communities, and 39 others.

Metro Manila had the highest number of clustering of cases in communities with 122, followed by Central Visayas with 114 and Eastern Visayas with 35.

Of the Health facilities that experienced a surge, 29 were in Metro Manila and six were in Eastern Visayas, the agency said.

People should observe minimum health standards including wearing face masks, frequent washing of hands and social distancing after the World Health Organization reported that the coronavirus could be airborne, Ms. Vergeire said.

“It’s an evolving science and new evidence continuous to roll out,” she said, adding that people should observe minimum health standards as a precaution.

The virus has sickened 12.2 million and killed about 553,000 people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.

More than seven million people have recovered, it said. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR