The number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the Philippines breached the 37,000 mark on Tuesday after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,080 more infections—858 “fresh” and 222 reported “late”—bringing the total to 37,514.

The death toll climbed to 1,266 with 11 new fatalities, the DOH reported.

The DOH said total recoveries also rose to 10,233 after 277 more patients recovered from the respiratory illness, The new cases reported on Tuesday are the second-highest since June 23’s 1,150 new infections.

This also marks the highest number of fresh cases recorded in a single day.

“Atin pong pinag-aaralan kung ano po ang mga naging dahilan sa mga kasong ito,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a briefing.

She added that the new cases reported on Tuesday were only based on reports from 57 out of 67 licensed laboratories.

Four duplicates were also removed from the total tally of infections.

Among the fresh cases, 158 are from Metro Manila, 430 are from Region VII, while the remaining 270 are spread out across the country.

Among the late cases, 45 are from Metro Manila, 38 are from Region VII, while the 139 other patients came from various areas nationwide.

As of June 28, the Philippines has 53 certified polymerase chain reaction facilities and 19 GeneXpert laboratories that have tested a total of 653,656 individuals.

Meanwhile, 1,300 or 34.92 percent of intensive care unit beds for COVID-19 patients are currently occupied while 1,950 or 23.23 percent of mechanical ventilators are in use./Stacy Ang