MANILA, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines surged to 299,361 after the Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 2,630 new cases on Friday.
The DOH said that the number of recoveries also rose to 232,399 after 494 more patients have recovered. Meanwhile, 69 more patients have died from the viral disease, bringing the death toll to 5,196.
The Philippines' capital Metro Manila topped the regions in the country with the highest number of 1,091 new cases on Friday.
The DOH said over 3.3 million people in the country have been tested for COVID-19 so far.
The DOH said it is closely monitoring 1,963 virus clusters in hospitals, jails, and densely populated communities in the country.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director-General Eric Domingo told reporters in an online briefing that 429 of the 526 COVID-19 patients treated with convalescent plasma have recovered.
Domingo said the experimental treatment, using the blood plasma taken from patients who have recovered from the coronavirus and rich in antibodies, needs further "scientific analysis" and study.
Domingo said that the FDA allowed 17 hospitals to administer convalescent plasma to COVID-19 patients. Enditem
