Philippines: Sharp increase in Covid-19 cases as total nears 560,000 and death toll climbs over 12,000

People wearing face masks and face shields as protection from the coronavirus disease queue outside a newly reopened historical site, in Manila. - Reuters

MANILA, Feb. 20 (Xinhua): The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines reported on Saturday 2,240 new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 559,288.

The death toll climbed to 12,068 after 239 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said. Saturday's reported daily death is the highest since September 14 last year, which stood at 259.