MANILA, Philippines — The total confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the Philippines reached 18,997 on Tuesday, as the Department of Health (DOH) reported 359 additional cases.

Of the newly logged cases, 176 have been classified as “fresh cases,” or those validated within the past three days. The other 183 are “late cases,” or those detected at least four days ago, but were only validated by the DOH’s Epidemiology Bureau recently.

Total recoveries nationwide are now at 4,063 after 84 more were able to defeat the respiratory disease.

Meanwhile, six more patients succumbed to the illness, bringing the total death count to 966.

Of the new cases, 97 were recorded in Central Visayas, 72 in Metro Manila, and 165 or nearly 46 percent came from other regions. The remaining 25 new infections involve returning Filipino migrant workers.

The DOH began including in its daily case bulletin the “fresh” and “late” cases last week and resulted in a massive spike in the country’s COVID-19 figures in recent days.

But the agency clarified that the surge in daily cases is due to its increased testing capacity and “aggressive efforts” to catch up on the validation backlogs.

On Monday, Metro Manila and several other areas eased to a less stringent general community quarantine (GCQ), where more businesses are allowed to reopen after over two months under strict lockdown measures.

The government’s decision to downgrade the quarantine status is aimed at reviving the economy severely affected by the pandemic.

However, experts and lawmakers have warned that the shift into a GCQ may result in a rise on COVID-19 infections.

EDV

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