COVID-19 cases double to 2,084 after four days

March 31, 2020

Four days after the number of 2019 coronavirus disease cases reached 1,000, it has doubled as of Monday.

The COVID-19 Case Bulletin of the DOH said there are a total of 2,084 COVID-19 cases in the country as of 4 pm Tuesday.

“The Department of Health reports 538 new cases of COVID-19,” said the DOH. The DOH said there were 10 new COVID-19 deaths bringing the total to 88. Recoveries are now 49, up seven.

In a press briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the sharp rise in the number of cases is due to better testing capacity.

She cited the opening of five sub-national laboratories along with improved capabilities of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).

The DOH said RITM and the sub-national laboratories have been able to conduct 15,337 tests, of which 14,001 are from the RITM.

The sub-national laboratories are Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, San Lazaro Hospital, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Southern Philippines Medical Center, and UP National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH).

Vergeire said DOH decided to include all symptomatic healthcare workers in their tests. DMS