The Department of Health (DOH) reported 4,351 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines on August 15, Saturday, bringing the country’s total confirmed cases to 157,918.

Active cases – total cases minus deaths and recoveries – were at 83,109 as of 4 pm Saturday.

The DOH recorded 159 more fatalities from the disease, bringing the country’s total reported death toll to 2,600.

Another 885 patients have recovered from the disease, the DOH said, bringing total recoveries to 72,209.

The DOH says 91% of active COVID-19 cases in the Philippines are mild, while 7.5% are asymptomatic, 0.6% severe, and 0.9% are critical.

Most of the new confirmed cases reported on Saturday were from Metro Manila: 2,460. Many of the other new cases were from:

• Laguna: 232
• Cavite: 211
• Cebu: 187
• Rizal: 184

The DOH said 71 cases previously reported as recoveries turned out to be 70 deaths and one active case “after final validation.” One case previously reported as a death “has been validated to be a recovery.”

The agency said it also removed 93 “duplicates” from the total case count, of which 10 had been reported as recoveries.

“These numbers undergo constant cleaning and validation,” the DOH said. Daily adjustments in reported cases and their status mean publicized daily totals may change later on.

President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to announce on Monday, August 17, whether the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in Metro Manila and its immediate surrounding provinces will be extended, or downgraded to less stringent forms of community quarantine. The current MECQ is set to lapse after Tuesday, August 18.

On Tuesday, August 11, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said extending the current MECQ in the capital region and in Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal would be unlikely. The economy loses P18 billion each day under MECQ, he added.

On Saturday, Duterte extended the implementation of general community quarantine (GCQ) in Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and Batangas province until August 31.

Iloilo City, Quezon Province, and Nueva Ecija will be upgraded to GCQ from the less strict modified GCQ from August 16 to 31. – Rappler.com