Philippines weighs extending lockdown as Covid-19 as cases top one million

Commuters travel by jeepney ahead of the evening curfew in Quezon City, Manila, the Philippines, on Monday, April 26, 2021. The Philippine capital and its surrounds returned to stricter virus control measures late last month, as a new surge in cases overwhelmed hospitals, causing dozens of makeshift stalls for food donations to sprout across the country. - Bloomberg

MANILA, April 27 (AP): Coronavirus infections surged past one million in the Philippines on Monday (April 26) as officials assess whether to extend a monthlong lockdown in the Manila region amid a grim spike in cases or relax it to fight a recession, joblessness and hunger.

The Department of Health reported 8,929 new infections on Monday, bringing the country’s total to 1,006,428, including 16,853 deaths. The totals are the second highest in Southeast Asia after Indonesia.