By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ANKARA (AA) – A surge of more than 500 took the total number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines to over 2,000 on Tuesday, while the death toll rose to 88, local media reported.
The Department of Health reported 538 new cases, the highest single-day spike in the country so far, which brought the total to 2,084, according to the local daily Phil Star.
Ten deaths were also reported over the past 24 hours, along with 49 recoveries.
Another report said the Philippines sought China’s assistance in the fight against the pandemic.
Jose Santiago Sta. Romana, Manila’s envoy to Beijing, said the two countries were discussing plans to bring a Chinese medical team to the Philippines.
He added that China has already been sending medical supplies to Manila.
“There has been a continuous inflow of coronavirus-related supplies from China to the Philippines,” he told local newspaper Manila Times.
The COVID-19 pandemic has now claimed nearly 39,000 lives, with over 803,000 cases confirmed in 178 countries and regions since last December, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.
The data shows more than 172,600 people around the world have recovered after contracting the virus.
