The number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the country on Saturday rose to 34,803 with 738 new infections, of which 560 are “fresh” or newly validated and 178 are late, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

The DOH also announced that 249 more patients have recovered from the illness, bringing the total to 9,430, while 12 more fatalities brought the death toll to 1,236.

Among the fresh cases, 212 are from the National Capital Region, 184 are from Region VII, and 164 are from other areas across the country.

Among the late cases, 85 are from the NCR, 23 are from Region VII, and 70 are from other areas across the country.

According to the DOH, eight duplicate cases that were previously tagged as recovered were removed from the total case count.

There are also 23,667 active cases undergoing treatment or quarantine. Among these, 22,649 are mild, 871 are asymptomatic, 123 are severe, and 24 are in critical condition.

At present, the Philippines has 49 certified polymerase chain reaction facilities and 19 GeneXpert laboratories./Stacy Ang