The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,772 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection on Tuesday, bringing the total number in the country to 387,161.
The DOH said 153 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 348,967. The death toll climbed to 7,318 after 49 more patients died from the viral disease.
The DOH had tested over 4.56 million people in the Philippines so far. The Philippines has a population of about 110 million.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has named Carlito Galvez, national task force against COVID-19 chief implementer, as the "vaccine czar."
At a televised meeting on Monday, Duterte gave Galvez, a former military general, the authority to negotiate with the vaccine manufacturers and oversee the distribution of the vaccine.
The Duterte administration has also named other so-called czars or people in charge of a specific task to respond to the pandemic, including testing, isolation, treatment, and contact-tracing efforts. (/Xinhua)
( With inputs from ANI )
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