The Philippines on Saturday reported over 9,000 new COVID-19 cases for the second straight day as a surge in new infections continues to overwhelm its already exhausted healthcare system.
The Department of Health tallied 9,595 new COVID-19 cases, to bring the total active cases to 118,122.
Ten new deaths were reported, bringing the total fatalities to 13,159 since the start of the pandemic. There were 481 new recoveries, bringing the total to 581, 161.
Since the start of the pandemic, the Philippines has tallied a total of 712, 442 COVID-19 cases.
The Philippines has been reporting at least 5,000 new COVID-19 infections daily--a surge that health authorities attribute to new virus variants and vaccine complacency.
Metro Manila, the center of the surge, and nearby provinces have been placed in a bubble to curb the spread of COVID-19.
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