THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DoH) reported 1,640 coronavirus infections on Tuesday, bringing the total to 360,775.

The death toll rose to 6,690 as 17 more patients died, while recoveries increased by 369 to 310,642, it said in a bulletin.

There were 43,443 active cases, 83% of which were mild, 11.6% did not show symptoms, 2% were severe and 3.4% were critical.

Cavite province and Quezon City reported the highest number of new cases with 86 each, followed by Batangas with 69, Bulacan with 62 and Manila with 61.

Zamboanga Peninsula and Metro Manila reported five new deaths each, while Central Luzon and the Cordillera Administrative Region reported two each, the agency said. The Ilocos region, Davao and Soccsksargen reported one death each.

More than 4.1 million individuals have been tested for the virus, it said.

Meanwhile, northern provinces and cities have experienced a surge in coronavirus infections, according to Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. chief enforcers of the government’s anti-coronavirus measures.

The Calabarzon region — made up of the provinces of Calamba, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon — and the cities of Baguio and Ilagan have reported rising cases, he told an online news briefing on Monday.

Ilagan City had been placed under an enhanced community quarantine to contain the virus, Mr. Galvez said. Some areas in Baguio City have experienced a surge in infections, while cases in other areas have been declining, he added.

Some areas of Mindanao in southern Philippines have also experienced a surge in infections, he said. Mr. Galvez was scheduled to visit Bukidnon province in Northern Mindanao on Tuesday.

Health authorities were also monitoring Tawi-Tawi, which is near the Malaysian island of Sabah, where COVID-19 cases had also been rising, Mr. Galvez said.

DoH on Monday said it was P10.5 billion short of funds for coronavirus vaccines to cover a fifth of the Philippines’ more than 100 million population.

The agency needs more than P12 billion to inoculate priority groups including health workers and the poor, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire told an online news briefing on Monday.

It only has allotted P2.5 billion for vaccines in its P204-billion budget for next year. The cost considered two doses for each person, she said.

The Philippines has funds to buy coronavirus vaccines but it needs more so the entire population of more than 100 million could be inoculated, President Rodrigo R. Duterte said last week. He said he would look for more funds so all Filipinos could be vaccinated, adding that he was okay with vaccines developed either by Russia or China.

Marikina Rep. Stella Luz A. Quimbo at the weekend said vaccinating 20 million Filipinos would cost almost P13 billion. She added that the budget was only enough to cover 3.9 million Filipinos at a testing price of P641 each. — Gillian M. Cortez and Vann Marlo M. Villegas

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