The Philippines topped the list of countries with the most number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Southeast Asia, data from the coronavirus resource center of Johns Hopkins University shows.
As of Tuesday, the Philippines has overtaken Malaysia after it registered 291 new cases.
The total number of cases has breached the 5,000-mark with 5,223 cases while the death toll increased to 335.
Majority of the COVID-19 cases in the Philippines are in Metro Manila, which logged 3,545 patients, followed by Luzon with 1,192 cases, 143 in Mindanao, and 89 in the Visayas. DOH said 254 cases are still under validation.
Despite being one of the countries that implemented lockdown measures early, cases continue to spike.
The health department attributed the rise of confirmed cases to the aggressive testing programs it has introduced to detect COVID-19 cases.
Malaysia, which landed on the second spot, reported 170 new cases on Tuesday lifting the total number of cases to 4,987 as the country marks its first month under partial lockdown, Bangkok Post reported.
Indonesia is occupying the third spot reported with 4,839 cases. Indonesia’s health ministry reported a record-high daily tally of fatalities on Tuesday with 60 new deaths, bringing the death toll to 459.
Indonesia is followed by Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam with 2,918, 2,613, and 266 cases, respectively.
READ MORE: PH records highest daily recovery as COVID-19 cases surge past 5,000
