MANILA (2nd UPDATE) - The Philippines on Saturday confirmed 77 new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), raising the country's tally to 307.

The health department also reported the country's 19th fatality -- a 73-year-old woman from San Juan City.

The patient, who had underlying conditions but had no recent travel history or exposure to a coronavirus case, died on March 12 from cardiac arrest. She was later confirmed to have caught COVID-19.

• 4 Filipino seniors recover from COVID-19; total recoveries now at 13

Meanwhile, 5 more people had recovered from the novel coronavirus, bringing the total tally of recoveries to 13.

Four of them were senior citizens -- a 75-year-old woman from Makati City; an elderly couple from San Juan City; and a 72-year-old man from Batangas.

The other patient, who had been given a clean bill of health, was a 35-year-old woman from Rizal. The new recoveries had been discharged from the hospitals.

During the press briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the agency would speed up testing for the virus, with more laboratories were opening up.

The Philippine government recently received some 100,000 test kits from China, South Korea and Brunei, which will be conducted on COVID-19 cases with severe symptoms, those considered patients under investigation (PUIs) and with travel history to coronavirus-stricken countries.

• DOH announces 5 labs to speed up COVID-19 testing, says 100,000 test kits donated

The country also now has 5 sub-national laboratories processing the COVID-19 testing -- Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu, and Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City.

"Humihingi po kami ng pang-unawa ng publiko at intindihin na hindi tayo agad-agad makakapag-test at makakapag-release ng resulta. Habang inaayos pa po natin ang sistema, ang pinaka-vulnerable muna ang ite-test natin," Vergeire said.

(We are asking the public's understanding that we couldn't immediately conduct tests and release results. While we are still fixing the system, those considered the most vulnerable would be tested first.)

• Tracking COVID-19 cases in the Philippines

The Philippines has since canceled public gatherings, shut down schools and public transport and urged people to work from home to curb the spread of COVID-19.

An enhanced community quarantine has been imposed in Luzon island, which affects more than 50 million people.

Globally, the new strain of coronavirus has sickened more than 234,000 and killed nearly 10,000 in 176 countries and territories, latest data from the World Health Organization showed.