Philippines: No strict lockdown despite big spike in Covid-19 cases as total nears 598,000

Women activists hold a rally near the Malacanang presidential palace to mark International Women's Day on Monday, March 8, 2021 in Manila, Philippines. The group said that they are holding Duterte's government accountable for the rise of unemployment, poverty and human rights violations during the Covid-19 pandemic. - AP

MANILA, March 8 (Xinhua): The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported on Monday 3,356 new Covid-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the South-East Asian country to 597,763.

The death toll climbed to 12,521 after five more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said. It added 61 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 545,912.