MANILA (UPDATE) - The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Philippines increased by 180 to 13,777 Saturday, data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed.

The country also recorded a further 6 fatalities from COVID-19, raising its tally to 863 since the crisis began.

Meanwhile, the number of people who have survived the illness increased by 85, with total recoveries now at 3,177. The patients' average length of hospital stay is 17 days.

Metro Manila, considered the country’s epicenter of the outbreak, accounts for 63 percent of the new cases or 114 patients. The remaining 66 new cases came from other regions.

The day's tally is the second straight day the country had less than 200 new cases, after 11 successive days when the count increased by over 200 daily.

Data from the health department also showed that men and those aged 20 to 39 were susceptible to the virus.

Meanwhile, more than half of those who succumbed to COVID-19 had underlying conditions such as hypertension and diabetes.

The government closed schools, shut down most businesses, suspended public transport and urged people to work from home in March to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Luzon was placed under a 2-month lockdown, with the restrictions eased a week ago as government sought to restart the economy.

As it fast-tracks accreditation of COVID-19 laboratories, the government has so far run nearly 208,000 tests. The country has a population of 108 million.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has sickened around 5.2 million people worldwide and killed more than 338,000, causes mild symptoms in most people, but can result in pneumonia and in some cases severe illness that can lead to multiple organ failure.