PHILIPPINES REPORTS RECORD-BREAKING 2,434 COVID-19 CASES IN ONE DAY

The Philippines on Sunday reported a record of 2,434 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours as quarantine restrictions eased nearly four months since a lockdown was imposed, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported on July 5, 2020.

The death toll from COVID-19 - the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus - rose to 1,297, with seven additional deaths reported over the past 24 hours, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

Of the new cases, 1,147 were people who tested positive, while 1,287 were considered “late cases,” meaning they had been confirmed previously but were only added now to the tally, the department said. The country’s total was 44,254 as of Sunday, it added.

“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 department said in its bulletin. “We implore the public to continue practicing general preventive measures, such as proper hand washing, physical distancing, wearing of masks, avoidance of non-essential travel outside their homes, and to observe minimum health standards to prevent the transmission of the COVID-19 virus,” it added.