MANILA — The new coronavirus infections in the Philippines reached 7,777 on Monday as the country logged 198 new cases, the health department said.

The number of patients who have recuperated also climbed to 932 after 70 new recoveries were recorded.

However, 10 new deaths were reported, bringing the total number of COVID-related fatalities to 511.

Monday's tally of new recoveries is the second highest reported in a day after April 16 when the Department of Health reported 82 new recoveries. The DOH also reported 70 recoveries on Sunday.

The number of recoveries have continued to increase while the death toll remains relatively low.

Because of this, the gap between the number of total recovered patients and total COVID-19 fatalities continue to widen.

The country's first COVID-19 case was reported in late January, around a month since the disease was believed to have first emerged in China.

The Philippines placed its main island of Luzon, as well as some key areas in the Visayas and Mindanao, under quarantine to slow the spread of the disease.

According to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus dashboard, more than 2.9 million people around the world have been infected with COVID-19, of whom, more than 860,000 have recovered and more than 200,000 have died.