The Department of Health (DoH) reported 3,375 coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing the total to 276,289.

The death toll rose to 4,785 after 53 more patients died, while recoveries increased by 317 to 208,096, it said in a bulletin.

There were 63,408 active cases, 87.5% of which were mild, 8.7% did not show symptoms, 1.1% were severe, and 2.7% were critical.

Metro Manila reported the highest number of cases with 963, followed by Bulacan with 448, Cavite with 274, Negros Occidental with 153 and Batangas with 119.

Metro Manila also had the highest reported deaths with 25, followed by the Calabarzon region with 12, Western Visayas and Northern Mindanao with four each and Zamboanga Peninsula with three.

Central Luzon, the Bicol region, Mimaropa, Cordillera Administrative Region had one death each. One returning migrant worker also died, DoH said.

More than three million individuals have been tested for the virus, it added.

DoH earlier said coronavirus infections could surge in the coming days as laboratories play catch-up after it issued stricter rules on test result submissions, according to the agency.

The agency starting on Sept. 1 stopped accepting results without the complete address and phone number of the patient.

Because of this, there were confirmed cases that had not been reported and will come out once the information is complete.

The government earlier said it was looking at enforcing aggressive isolation measures and prohibiting home quarantine for coronavirus patients to bring down the infection rate further.

The government has been setting up more isolation centers for patients that don’t show symptoms and those with mild cases of the virus to contain the virus. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR