MANILA– The Philippines crossed a grim milestone, as COVID-19 caseload topped two million today.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the Southeast Asian country surged to 2,003,955, after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 14,216 new daily infections today.

The DOH also reported 86 related deaths, raising the country’s death toll to 33,533.

“The relatively low number of cases today is due to lower laboratory output last Monday,” the DOH said in a statement, adding that, five laboratories failed to submit the data.

On Monday, the Philippines posted the highest single-day spike of 22,366, since the outbreak in Jan, 2020.

The DOH said, the community transmission of the highly contagious Delta variant will further drive up the number of infections in the country. In an online briefing yesterday, Health Undersecretary, Maria Rosario Vergeire said, the DOH expects the cases to peak by the middle of this month.

The Philippines, which has a population of around 110 million, has tested over 17.5 million people.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK