MANILA, Philippines – The total number of health care workers infected with the coronavirus has tripled to 766 in over a week, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Friday, April 17.

Of the total, 339 are doctors and 242 are nurses. At least 22 health workers have died of the coronavirus disease.

Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire did not specify the kind of work performed by the other health workers with coronavirus.

When the government first announced the tally of health workers with COVID-19 on April 8, the total was at 252, including 152 doctors and 63 nurses. (READ: How much PPE do you need to care for COVID-19 patients?)

With the latest tally, health workers now account for 13% of coronavirus cases in the country. As of Friday, the Philippines has  5,878 coronavirus cases, with 387 deaths and 487 recoveries.

Before the Philippines started to produce personal protective equipment, health care professionals sounded the alarm over the shortage of protective gear for more than 3 weeks.

Member-companies of the Confederation of Wearable Exporters of the Philippines is in charge of producing medical-grade PPE overalls for healthcare workers. – Rappler.com