THE Department of Health (DOH) on Friday, April 3, said confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infections in the country have increased to 3,018 while the death toll jumped to 136.
As of 4 p.m. Friday, the DOH reported 29 additional deaths, the biggest number listed over a 24-hour period, and 385 additional persons who tested positive for the new coronavirus.
“The spike in the number of deaths is attributed to the late reporting of previous deaths,” said Beverly Ho, special assistant to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
The increase in cases, meanwhile, has been attributed to the improved testing capacity of health facilities in the country.
Th DOH also reported that another patient has recovered, bringing the total number of survivors to 52.
In a virtual press conference Friday, DOH Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the planned mass testing for Covid-19 will cover only those with symptoms.
"Under our proposed protocol, those who are with symptoms will be the ones prioritized for testing. And if they test positive, they will be transferred to our community quarantine facilities," she said.
As of Friday, there were 6,002 patients under investigation (PUIs) and 6,321 persons under monitoring (PUMs).
"But there could be more as we still have those being monitored by local governments and have yet to relay the information to us," said Vergeire.
Earlier, Secretary Carlito Galvez, chief implementer of the National Action Policy against Covid-19 said, the government is looking to start mass testing on April 14.
Various sectors have been calling on the government to conduct mass testing for the new coronavirus, officially known as Sars-CoV-2, the pathogen that causes Covid-19. (Jove T. Moya/HDT/SunStar Philippines)