THE Department of Health (DOH) on Friday, September 18, 2020, reported an additional 3,257 cases of infection, bringing the total count in the country to nearly 280,000.

In its case bulletin Friday, the DOH said the total number of individuals who contracted Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), reached 279,526.

The National Capital Region (NCR) reported the biggest number of additional cases at 997, followed by Bulacan with 282, Cavite with 179, Negros Occidental with 152, and Cebu with 127.

The DOH report also showed 47 new deaths, which raised the death toll from Covid-19 to 4,830.

Of the 47 mortalities, 23 were from the NCR. Eighteen occurred in September, 13 in August, 13 also in July, one in June and two in May.

Other deaths were reported in Calabarzon (11), Central Visayas (4), and Northern Mindanao (3).

The DOH also reported 733 new recoveries, bringing the total to 208,790.

Globally, the number of individuals who have contracted the virus crossed the 30 million mark on September 18.

According to the Johns Hopkins University, global cases increased to 30.183 million as of September 18. Of this number, 946,158 had died. (With report from HDT/SunStar Philippines)