PILIPINO ASSOCIATION OF WORKERS AND IMMIGRANTS
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From Rappler.com
Original Article: https://rappler.com/nation/coronavirus-cases-philippines-august-3-2020
Article written by Sofia Tomacruz
The number of coronavirus cases in the Philippines continued to increase on Monday, August 3, as over 3,000 newly-reported cases pushed the total confirmed cases further past 106,000.
The Department of Health (DOH) said 3,226 new cases were reported by 66 out of 94 labs, bringing the total number of nationwide infections to 106,330.
Among the top provinces where new cases were found were Metro Manila (1,541 cases), followed by Cebu (503 cases), Laguna (181), Rizal (158), and Cavite (129).
The number of new cases reported on Monday was lower than previous days’ streak of record-breaking numbers, but showed the further spread of the virus as new infections were still among the highest recorded since the the start of the pandemic.
The death toll due to the disease is now at 2,104, following 46 more deaths. Meanwhile, recoveries totaled 65,821, after 275 more patients were reported to no longer have the disease.
Meanwhile, the DOH said it was monitoring 887 clusters nationwide, 741 of which were found in communities.
Other clusters were found in the following areas:
Of the 887 clusters, 315 were in Metro Manila, the epicenter of the outbreak.
The continued increase in cases comes as President Rodrigo Duterte reverted Metro Manila and nearby province to an enhanced community quarantine from August 4 to August 18. The National Capital Region had earlier been placed under a general community quarantine that was supposed to last from August 1 to 15.
Duterte’s decision to tighten restrictions had been prompted by the medical community’s call for a two-week timeout, which medical experts and government officials could use to refine pandemic strategies.
The medical sector earlier made the plea after it warned the country’s health system was overwhelmed by the surge in cases and that the Philippines was losing its battle against the coronavirus.
The increasing number of cases in recent weeks has flooded hospitals in the capital region, putting a strain on limited critical care resources and further exhausting health workers who have been at the front lines of hospitals for months.
While Duterte accepted their plea for a tighter quarantine, he expressed outrage at medical workers making their plea public and dared them to stage a revolution. Medical workers asserted they never made such a call, and urged the government to collaborate with them as the country’s enemy was COVID-19. – Rappler.com