MANILA (UPDATE)— The Philippines on Friday recorded 13,177 fresh COVID-19 cases, the second highest daily jump in new infections since the pandemic began, with deaths reaching nearly 300.

Friday's newly-confirmed COVID-19 cases is the highest since April 2, when the country logged 15,310 infections.

• READ: HIGHEST EVER: Philippines reports 15,310 COVID-19 cases, 3.7K 'from backlogs'

The ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group (IRG) said this is the first time that the daily case tally breached 13,000 in more than 4 months. This came amid government warnings on the highly transmissible Delta variant, also blamed for the catastrophic outbreak in India, where it was first detected, and surges in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

The country's total confirmed COVID-19 cases has reached 1,713,302, with active cases at 96,395 or 5.6 percent of the running tally.

The number of those still battling the disease is also the highest in nearly 4 months, or since April 23 this year, when the country had 100,599 active cases, according to the IRG.

The number of active cases in previous days has been adjusted for duplicate cases.

Based on the latest bulletin, the positivity rate is at 23.6 percent. This is based on the test results of 57,355 individuals on Wednesday.

The positivity rate is also the highest since April 2, according to the ABS-CBN Data Analytics team.

Those who died due to the novel coronavirus rose to 29,838 with 299 additional fatalities, the 3rd highest recorded in a day since the pandemic reached the country, ABS-CBN data analytics added.

The day's fresh deaths, the highest since April 6 according to the IRG, included 175 cases first classified as recoveries.

Recoveries, meanwhile, increased by 4,322 to 1,587,069.

A total of 238 duplicates, 229 of which are recoveries, were excluded from the case tally, the DOH said.

Ten recoveries also turned out to be active cases, according to the agency.

Four laboratories failed to submit data on time.

The intensive care unit (ICU) occupation rate in Metro Manila dipped to 60 percent from 68 percent on Thursday, the latest bulletin showed.

Nationwide, the ICU utilization rate is at 66 percent.

The health department earlier in the day said all areas in the National Capital Region are classified as either at high or critical risk for COVID-19.

• All areas in Metro Manila at high, critical risk for COVID-19: DOH

When asked if this would prompt the DOH to recommend the extension of the enhanced community quarantine in the capital region, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said: "Wala pa po tayo puwedeng mabigay na konklusyon."

(We cannot give a conclusion as of now.)

Metro Manila is under enhanced community quarantine until Aug. 20.

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