THE Department of Health (DOH) is back to logging less than 5,000 new cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) Tuesday, May 18, as some laboratories have failed to submit test results.

The health department said eight laboratories have failed to submit data on May 16, thus only 4,487 additional cases were reported Tuesday.

The new cases brought the total number of confirmed infections in the country to 1,154,388, of which 52,291 or 4.5 percent are active.

The DOH said 95.2 percent of the cases in the Philippines have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic.

It also recorded 6,383 new recoveries that raised the total number of patients who have recovered from the disease to 1,082,725 or 93.8 percent of all cases as of May 18.

As to the number of fatalities, 110 new deaths were recorded, bringing the total to 19,372 mortalities.

The DOH appealed to the public anew to continue to observe social distancing and wear face mask and face shield to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

President Rodrigo Duterte warned earlier that he will be forced to issue a stricter lockdown should there be an upsurge of Covid-19 cases.

"Ang pag-asa natin is really the obedience, parang (like a) Boy Scout. You want to end the danger of Covid-19 engulfing this country...Kapag hindi, napipilitan talaga ako na (if not I will really be forced) to impose lockdowns and everything," he said Tuesday, May 18. (LMY)