MANILA - A Filipino nurse at the frontlines of efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic has succumbed to the respiratory disease, his peers said Wednesday, expanding the list of medical workers who lost their lives due to the virus.

Arvin Pascual, 44, died due to "severe bronchopneumonia due to COVID-19," Philippine Nurses Association president Erlinda "Caster" Palaganas told ABS-CBN News, citing information on his death certificate.

Pascual had served at the Dr. Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, north of the capital, she said.

Pascual was "a warrior against COVID-19", the PNA said on its Facebook page.

The pandemic has claimed the lives of at least 12 Filipino doctors, according to the Philippine Medical Association said Sunday. The health department has yet to release an official tally of medical workers infected with the disease.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said health workers who passed away due to the disease were "lucky" because dying for one's country is "an honor."

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The Philippines as of Tuesday confirmed 88 deaths out of its total 2,084 cases of the novel coronavirus. The tally could continue to climb following the recent delivery of test kits and the accreditation of additional screening laboratories, said the health department.

Metro Manila and the entire Luzon, home to about half of the country's 100 million people, is under lockdown until April 12 to contain the pandemic.