Philippines' COVID -19 death toll hits 1,003

MANILA - (UPDATE) The Philippines' death toll from COVID-19 breached the 1,000 mark on Sunday as 9 new deaths were reported bringing the country's total to 1,003.

The Department of Health also reported 555 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 bringing the country’s total to 21,895.

Of the confirmed cases, 378 were deemed 'fresh' where test results were released on the patient within the last 3 days, while 177 were classified as 'late' where test results were released 4 or more days ago. 

The DOH also reported 89 new recoveries, pushing the total number of Filipinos who recovered from the disease to 4,530.

The number of fresh cases on Sunday is the highest recorded in a single day since the DOH started reporting fresh and late cases. 

Even though the death toll breached 1000 today, reported fatalities have been lower in recent days

Data reveals that from June 1 to 7, the average number of daily deaths is 6.6.

More than 6.9 million people around the world have been infected by the disease, with the death toll now at over 400,000 according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.