COVID-19 cases in Philippines exceed 44,000

Manila: The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines surged to 44,254 after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 2,434 new cases on Sunday, the country's biggest single-day infections so far.
"As the country continues to ease community quarantine measures, the rise in the number of cases today may be attributed to the increased contact among the population," the DOH said in a statement.
The DOH said that the number of recoveries rose to 11,942 after 489 more patients survived the disease.
The death toll increased to 1,297 after seven more patients succumbed to the viral disease, the DOH said.
According to the DOH, 1,069 of the newly-reported cases were in Metro Manila, 602 cases in the Central Visayas region in the central Philippines and 756 cases were reported in other parts of the country.
The DOH further said that seven overseas Filipino workers repatriated by the government also tested positive for the virus.
"We implore the public to continue practicing general preventive measures, such as proper handwashing, physical distancing, wearing of mask, avoidance of non-essential travel outside their homes, and to observe minimum health standards to prevent the transmission of the COVID-19 virus," the DOH said.
The DOH also appealed to all establishments to implement the minimum health standards in their premises and immediately report clustering of confirmed cases in their respective workplaces.