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DPA
Manila
The Philippines on Thursday reported a record 3,954 additional coronavirus infections, pushing the country’s national tally to more than 89,000.
The death toll from COVID-19 also rose to 1,983, with 23 additional deaths reported, the Department of Health said.
Of the additional cases, 1,320 are infections confirmed in the past three days, while 2,634 were confirmed previously but only later added to the tally, the department added.
The increase in the latter group of cases was attributed to data reconciliation efforts with local government units, the department said.
The country’s total was at 89,374 as of Thursday, it added.
Despite the spiking number of infections, the government has been continuing to ease restrictions in a bid to jump-start the economy, allowing more businesses to resume reduced operations.
On Tuesday, the health department warned that the country’s health system was “close to being overwhelmed.”
It noted that more than 50 percent of hospital beds allocated for COVID-19 patients were now occupied, meaning the health system had entered the so-called “warning zone.” 
On Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte told Congress in an annual state of the nation address that, while the administration’s response to the outbreak was not perfect, the interventions had prevented up to 3.5 million infections.
The government imposed a lockdown on the country’s most populous island, Luzon, including Manila and other high-risk areas, in mid-March in a bid to contain the spread of the virus.
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31/07/2020
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