COVID-19 cases in the Philippines surpass 27,000

COVID-19 cases in the Philippines surpass 27,000

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 17) — Over 27,000 people in the country have caught the coronavirus disease so far, the Department of Health reported on Wednesday.

The tally of infected persons rose to 27,238, after the agency announced 457 new infections.

Of the added figures, it said 342 are “fresh” cases or were validated in the last three days, while 115 were considered “late” or part of the validation backlog.

Another 268 have beaten the disease, while five more died, the DOH added. These pushed the number of total recoveries to 6,820 and the death toll to 1,108.

The most number of new cases were logged in Metro Manila at 173, followed by Central Visayas at 160.

Cases among Filipinos abroad also climbed to 6,074, after the Department of Foreign Affairs listed 56 more infected patients.

With 10 more survivors, recovered overseas Filipinos are now at 2,842. However, 24 more lost against the disease, for a total of 466 deaths.

In a media briefing, Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire reiterated the agency’s warning against the use of the steroid drug dexamethasone, which experts from the United Kingdom say helps save severe and critically-ill COVID-19 patients.

Vergeire said further studies on the drug are still needed and that dexamethasone should not be taken without the supervision of a doctor.

“We want to inform and warn the public not to buy, or worse, hoard it in the hopes of self-medicating,” she said.

Local health experts will await the peer reviewed version of the clinical trial before considering to give the drug to patients with severe COVID-19, according to the spokesperson.