Philippines reports record high 15,310 new COVID-19 cases

April 2, 2021 - 5:19 PM
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People wearing face masks and face shields as protection against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) queue outside a grocery store in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, March 28, 2021. (Reuters/Lisa Marie David)

MANILA — The Philippines reported on Friday a daily record 15,310 new coronavirus infections, one of the highest reported in the region since the pandemic started, bringing the country’s total to 771,497 cases.

It announced 17 new deaths, taking fatalities to 13,320 deaths. The Department of Health said the new cases reported on Friday included a backlog of 3,709 cases. The previous record was just over 10,000 new cases. —Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Martin Petty