The Philippines on Monday, March 29, logged 10,016 new COVID-19 cases, the biggest single-day tally since the pandemic began. This brings the total caseload in the country to 731,894.

The DOH also reported 16 deaths due to COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 13,186. Meanwhile, recoveries are up by 78, raising the total to 603,213.

Out of the total cases, 115,495 are active.

In March alone so far, at least 155,542 new cases have been reported, already making it the month with the highest number of new cases since the coronavirus pandemic started.

In the last 7 days, at least 60,102 new infections have been reported.

Metro Manila and the provinces in the “NCR Plus” bubble – Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, and Laguna – are under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) for a week, from March 29, to Easter Sunday, April 4. This is to prevent COVID-19 from spreading further.

The DOH projected that the enforcement of ECQ in the “NCR Plus” bubble would prevent the Philippines’ active COVID-19 cases from hitting 430,000 by the end of April.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the lockdown would provide time to address “operational issues in relation to case detection, contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine.”

Aside from the high growth rate of cases in “NCR Plus,” Vergeire also noted the increasing intensive care unit (ICU) utilization, which is now at 63% for Metro Manila and 58% for Calabarzon. – Rappler.com