COVID-19 cases in PH breach 700-mark

The Philippines has 71 new coronavirus cases, bringing the national tally to 707, the Department of Health on Thursday, March 26, reported.

Meanwhile, seven patients passed away, bringing the overall death toll in the country to 45.

All the fatalities are Filipinos with no recent travel history overseas. They are as follows:

• 72-year-old Filipino female from San Juan City who died of septic shock, severe pneumonia and COVID-19;

• 50-year-old Filipino male from Pasig City who died due to acute respiratory failure and pneumonia. He had diabetes;

• 56-year-old Filipino male from Pampanga whose cause of death are acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) secondary to COVID-19 pneumonia and acute respiratory failure;

• 87-year-old Filipino male from Sultan Kudarat who died due to COPD, pneumonia and COVID-19;

• 80-year-old Filipino female from Rizal whose cause of death are acute coronary syndrome or congestive heart failure and severe acute respiratory infection;

• 46-year-old Filipino male from Laguna who died due to acute myocardial infarction or heart attack and coronary artery disease. He had hypertension and renal disease;

• 46-year-old Filipino male from Rizal who died of acute respiratory disease secondary to pneumonia and COVID-19.

Two patients recovered: a 41-year-old Filipino man from Makati City who recently traveled to Japan and a 69-year-old Filipino man from Marikina City who traveled overseas. The total number of recoveries is now 28.

According to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, the number of cases is expected to increase due to the increased testing capacity of the country’s laboratories.

He said five laboratories across the archipelago can now test COVID-19 samples. The United Nations, for its part, urged every nation to come together to curb the spread of the virus.

“COVID-19 is threatening the whole of humanity—and the whole of humanity must fight back,” said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

He added, “Global action and solidarity are crucial. Individual country responses are not going to be enough.”