MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines’ health ministry on Friday reported 3,379 additional coronavirus cases, bringing the country’s total number of confirmed infections to 122,754.
In a bulletin, the ministry said deaths had increased by 24 to 2,168.
Infections have surged nearly seven-fold while deaths have more than doubled since a strict lockdown was lifted in June. It prompted Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to reimpose a lockdown in and around Manila earlier this week.
The country now has the highest number of cases in Southeast Asia and other parts of eastern Asia including China.
(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales and Adrian Portugal)
