THE Department of Health (DoH) reported 3,561 new coronavirus infections on Thursday, bringing the total to 119,460.

The death toll rose to 2,150 after 28 more patients died, while recoveries increased by 569 to 66,837, it said in a bulletin.

Of the new cases 2,041 were from Metro Manila, 222 from Laguna, 221 from Cebu, 100 from Cavite and 81 from Rizal, DoH said.

There were 50,473 active cases, 91% of which were mild, 7.8% did not show symptoms, and less than 1% each were severe and 0.5% were critical. More than 1.5 million people have been tested for the virus, it added.

DoH said the Philippines had tested more people than its Southeast Asian neighbors. The country had conducted more than 1.6 million tests as of Aug. 4, with a daily testing average of 28,938 in the past seven days, it said in a separate statement.

This was higher than about 908,000 tests conducted by Indonesia, which had a daily testing average of 14,291, it said, citing the Our World in Data website.

“This increased testing capacity is the result of the government’s continuing efforts to expand its capability to identify confirmed COVID-19 cases, in congruence with the other facets of its national five-point response strategy,” DoH said. “Other facets of this national strategy include prevention, isolation, contact tracing and treatment.”

The Health department said its coronavirus death rate was at 1.8% despite the surge in cases, lower than Indonesia’s 4.7% with more than 5,000 deaths and the global rate of 3.7%.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned the public and healthcare professionals against buying misbranded face masks.

In an advisory, it flagged Fu Le Bang Disposable Mask, Flag World Face Mask and Mask, which used foreign characters in their labels.

Under the law, a device is misbranded if any word, statement or other information in the label is not prominently placed.

“In view of the above, all concerned establishments are warned not to distribute, advertise, or sell the said violative medical device products, otherwise, regulatory actions and sanctions shall be strictly pursued,” according to a copy of the advisory signed by Director General Rolando Enrique D. Domingo.

FDA regional offices and regulatory enforcement units must coordinate with law enforcement agencies and local governments to ensure the products are not being sold.

“The Bureau of Customs is urged to restrain entry of these misbranded products,” it added. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

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