MANILA, Philippines — The number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country surpassed 13,000 on Wednesday, over 9,000 of which are considered active.

The Department of Health (DOH) recorded 279 new cases of the disease, increasing the country’s total to 13,221. A total of 9,447 are considered active cases.

More than half of 54% of the new cases were recorded in Metro Manila while 14 cases or 5% were located in Central Visayas.

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Recoveries from the disease rose to nearly 3,000 or 2,932 with 89 new recovered patients.

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Five COVID-19 patients, meanwhile, were recorded to have succumbed to the disease, raising the country’s death toll to 842.

The “second wave” of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission is currently happening in the Philippines after the government eased up stringent quarantine protocols across the country, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.

The country, especially Metro Manila, could also experience a “third wave” of coronavirus transmission if it will shift to a general community quarantine (GCQ) without mass testing.

READ: NCR under GCQ without mass testing may lead to new wave of infections – Duque

The government has eased up quarantine protocols in the country last week despite the relatively low number of tested individuals. DOH has been working towards an “expanded testing” or “targeted testing” although it missed its goal of 8,000 tests per day by the end of April.

Unlike mass testing, “expanded testing” or “targeted testing” intends to broaden the scope of tests to include and prioritize exposed but asymptomatic patients and healthcare workers.

Those who were so far tested for the coronavirus are symptomatic patients, healthcare workers, and probable and suspected COVID-19 patients, or those with known exposure to a COVID-19 patient or a travel history to a location with a reported case of the disease.

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So far, 4.9 million individuals worldwide have contracted the coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19, killing off more than 320,000. Meanwhile, 1.6 million people were able to recover from the deadly respiratory disease, according to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus board.

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For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.

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