Eight fatalities for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been reported in the Philippines, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 152, the Department of Health (DOH) announced Sunday.
The country also posted 152 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number to 3,246.
Total recoveries in the country went up to 64 after seven patients were sent home from hospitals.
Infectious diseases specialist Dr. Edsel Salvana said the latest numbers were early signs of a “flattening of the curve.”
158 new cases. That’s higher than yesterday’s 76 cases but lower than the March 31 peak of 538 cases. This really seems to indicate flattening. This is encouraging and points to a real effect of ECQ. Extension is an option, but the hardest hit will need a lot of support. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/zEPyYI4tjF
— Dr. Edsel Salvana (@EdselSalvana) April 5, 2020
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III stated that measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 must not be relaxed, revisiting the 55-day lockdown in Wuhan, China that lowered the number of cases in the outbreak’s epicenter.
Meanwhile, Peace Process Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief of the government’s COVID-19 response, said the existing Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine set to be lifted on April 13 may be extended for another 15 days to further analyze the government’s efforts to stop the disease. (RJ Espartinez)