The Philippines on Saturday recorded over 19,000 new cases of COVID-19, a new all-time high, as the MECQ or second strictest quarantine in Metro Manila was extended to Sept. 7.
The 19,441 new COVID-19 cases brought the number of active infections to 142,679. A total of 19,191 new recoveries and 167 new deaths were also reported.
The fresh batch of COVID-19 cases broke the previous high of 18,332 infections recorded on Aug. 23.
All in all, the country has reported a total of 1,935,700 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, of which 1,760,013 have recovered and 33,008 died.
Apart from Metro Manila, 15 other areas in the country will be under MECQ. The capital region, Bataan and Laguna will also have added restrictions on dining, personal care services, and religious activities.