The Philippines posted 615 new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, elevating the country’s total tally to 24,787, the Department of Health (DOH) announced Friday.

336 of the new cases are “fresh” or newly validated: 97 came from the National Capital Region, 92 from Region VII and 147 came from other areas in the country.

279 of the new cases are late cases: 84 came from the National Capital Region, 20 came from Region VII, 165 were repatriates, while 10 came from other areas across the country.

The DOH also announced that three “duplicate” cases were delisted from the total tally reported on Thursday.
“Total cases reported may be subject to change as these numbers undergo constant cleaning and validation,” the health department added.

In a bit of good news, 289 new patients have recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 5,454.

Death toll, on the other hand, inches to 1,052 with 16 new deaths.

Singapore remains the most COVID-19 infected country in Southeast Asia with 39,850 cases. Indonesia closely followed behind with 36,406 cases trailed by the Philippines. (RJ Espartinez)