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Philippines reports 3,420 new COVID-19 cases, 65 more deaths

adminAugust 16, 20201 Mins read82 Views

MANILA: The Philippines has recorded 3,420 new cases of the novel coronavirus and 65 additional deaths, the health ministry said on Sunday (Aug 16).

The country has so far registered a total of 161,253 infections and the death toll from COVID-19 has risen to 2,665 according to ministry data.

The Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte is set to announce on Monday his decision whether to extend or ease strict quarantine measures that were reinstated in and around the capital Manila in mid-August to stem the rise in new cases.

READ: Hungry and homeless: Philippine 'jeepney' drivers hit by COVID-19

The country delayed on Friday the start of the school year by another six weeks to October.

Schools across the archipelago have been shut since mid-March, when Duterte's government imposed a months-long lockdown in a bid to slow the fast-spreading contagion.

The academic year usually starts in June but was pushed back to Aug 24.

It is now scheduled to begin on Oct 5, the education department said, blaming the latest lockdown in the capital Manila and four surrounding provinces for "logistical limitations" in preparing for remote schooling.

Authorities have largely ruled out face-to-face classes for the rest of 2020 after Duterte said students would have to stay home until a virus vaccine was available.

The country is due to start large-scale human testing of a Russian vaccine in October with regulatory approval of the drug expected in April, according to the government's timeline released on Thursday.