The Department of Health (DOH) on Sunday said the increasing number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patient recoveries showed that the virus is not a “death sentence”.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire made the statement after more than 16,000 COVID-19 patients have newly recovered from the virus.

Based on the DOH Case Bulletin, there were 16,459 reported recoveries from COVID-19 bringing the total to 131,367.

"It simply proves that having COVID-19 is not a death sentence. We will recover from this and our lives will go on after COVID-19," Vergeire said in a virtual presser.

As to the number of new cases, DOH reported 2,378 bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 189,601.

Of the new cases reported, the majority came from the National Capital Region (NCR) with 1,022; followed by Cavite with 132, Laguna with 128, Rizal with 115, and Cebu with 96.

As to the fatalities, the DOH report showed 32 new deaths recorded bringing the total to 2,998 fatalities with the majority of the new deaths were recorded in NCR with 22.

Other deaths were reported from Central Visayas with four, Bicol Region with two, and one each in Central Luzon, Western Visayas , Calabarzon, and Caraga.

“There were 26 duplicates that were removed from the total case count. Of these, nine recovered cases have been removed,” DOH said.

“Moreover, four cases that were previously reported to have recovered have been validated to have died and already included in the count of new deaths,” it added. Ella Dionisio/DMS