Philippines Covid-19 total rises to 1,424,518 as massive evacuations takes places due to volcanic eruptions

Residents who fled their homes and stayed at a school turned into an evacuation centre wearing face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus at Laurel town, Batangas province, Philippines on Friday July 2, 2021. Thousands of people were being evacuated from villages around a rumbling volcano near Manila but officials said they faced another dilemma of ensuring emergency shelters will not turn into epicentres of Covid-19 infections. - AP

MANILA, July 2 (Xinhua): The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported on Friday 6,192 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,424,518.

The death toll climbed to 24,973 after 177 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.