MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines on Saturday reported its highest single-day coronavirus deaths, mostly due to the reclassification of previous cases, the health ministry said.
In a bulletin, the ministry recorded 423 COVID-19 deaths, eclipsing the 401 casualties reported on April. 9.
However, 373 cases previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified and added to the death toll on Saturday, it added.
With nearly 2.8 million cases and 43,044 deaths, the Philippines has Southeast Asia’s second highest infections and casualties, next to Indonesia.
But it is gradually loosening curbs to further reopen the economy as cases have eased to a daily average of roughly 7,700 in October from the peak of nearly 18,600 daily confirmed infections in September.
The Philippines has so far fully vaccinated 26.8 million of its 110 million population.
(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Alison Williams)
