New coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases hit a new year's high of 5,404, a few hours before Metro Manila mayors impose a unified curfew.

The Department of Health ( DOH) said Monday total cases are at 626, 893. It was the second time in three days that cases reached its highest for the year.

Eight persons died from COVID-19, bringing total deaths to 12, 837.

Seventy one persons rebounded from COVID-19, raising total recoveries to 560, 577.

The curfew, which starts 10 pm to 5 am, will run for two weeks or up to March 31.

Monday marks one year that the Philippines imposed quarantine measures to blunt the momentum of COVID-19. While private and government hospitals report that rooms for COVID-19 patients are slowly getting occupied, an officer of a leading hospital said doctors know how to cope with the disease.

''Things have changed in a year. We know how to deal with this. Our patient mortality rate was 15-16 percent in March (2020). We brought it down to five-six percent,'' Benjamin Campomanes, senior vice president and chief operating officer of St. Luke's, told dzBB.

Campomanes admitted that their COVID rooms are quite full but no COVID patient has died in their two hospitals. DMS