The Department of Health (DoH) reported 3,139 coronavirus infections on Friday, bringing the total to 351,750.
The death toll rose by 34 to 6,531 while recoveries increased by 786 to 294,865, it said in a bulletin.
There were 50,354 active cases, 84.7% of which were mild, 10.8% did not show symptoms, 1.5% were severe and 3% were critical.
Metro Manila reported the highest number of new cases with 1,003, followed by Cavite with 206, Rizal with 175, Laguna with 138 and Iloilo with 126.
Of the new deaths, seven came from the Caraga region, five from Western Visayas, four from the Bicol region, and three each from Central Luzon, Central Visayas and Soccsksargen, the agency said.
Cagayan Valley and the Calabarzon region reported two deaths each, while Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Mimaropa, the Cordillera Administrative Region and Metro Manila reported one death each.
More than four million people have been tested for the disease, DoH said.
Meanwhile, the government has “rerouted” virus specimens to other laboratories after the Philippine Red Cross halted coronavirus tests following state insurer Philippine Health Insurance Corp.’s failure to pay for the tests.
Health authorities are in talks with the Red Cross to resolve the problem, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire told an online news briefing on Friday.
The local Red Cross on Oct. 14 said it would stop conducting tests chargeable to PhilHealth until it pays about P930 million in overdue debt. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas
