The Department of Health (DoH) reported 3,714 coronavirus infections on Friday, bringing the total to 232,072.
The death toll rose by 49 to 3,737 while recoveries increased by 1,088 to 160,549, it said in a bulletin.
There were 67,786 active cases, 90.7% of which were mild, 6.9% did not show symptoms, 0.9% were severe and 1.4% were critical.
Metro Manila had the highest number of new cases with 1,797, followed by Negros Occidental with 390, Batangas with 248, Laguna with 247 and Cavite with 150, DoH said.
Of the new reported deaths, 31 came from Metro Manila, seven from Central Visayas, and three each from Central Luzon and the Calabarzon region, the agency said.
One death each was recorded in Western Visayas, the Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, the Davao region and Mimaropa region.
More than 2.56 million individuals have been tested for the COVID-19 virus, it said.
The coronavirus has sickened 26.4 million and killed almost 900,000 people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization (WHO). About 18.6 million people have recovered, it said.
Meanwhile DoH said it may start clinical trials for the Japanese flu drug Avigan this month as a treatment for the coronavirus.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire said the clinical trial agreement was under final review by the agency’s legal service.
The insurance policy for trial participants was being studied and the database containing details of the participants and monitoring of the drug’s effects were also being readied, she told an online news briefing.
A hundred patients aged 18 to 74 were expected to participate in the trials, which did not start as scheduled on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, there are two clinicals trials for virgin coconut oil as treatment for COVID-19, Ms. Vergeire said.
The first one at Sta. Rosa Community Hospital started in May and will end on Dec. 31, while the second at the Philippine General Hospital started on June 1 and will end on May 31. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas