The Philippine Ministry of Health today said that the country recorded an additional 8,929 cases of infection and 70 deaths, bringing the total number of cases and deaths to 1,006,428 and 16,853 respectively.

Analysts say infections in metropolitan Manila, which accounts for nearly 50% of infections, are falling thanks to strict quarantine restrictions imposed since mid-March. However, they warn there is more to come.

`The trend is not stable in that the decrease has not been sustained for a long time,` said Professor Guido David, spokesman for the Octa Research Group based in the Philippines.

People wear masks and anti-droplet masks on the streets of Manila, Philippines on April 15.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque agrees with this view.

The Philippines locked down metropolitan Manila and four neighboring provinces, home to a quarter of the country’s population, from March 29 to April 10 to prevent fast-spreading variants.

Hospitals are so overloaded that many people die of Covid-19 before being taken to the emergency room.

Restrictions were eased from April 11 under MECQ.

Octa Research said in its latest report that the virus’s reproduction rate has dropped below 1, meaning the spread has been contained.

There are also more hospital beds available, although still not enough to free up the health system.

The grim milestone in the Philippines was recorded when the epidemic situation in the region became complicated.

The complicated developments of the epidemic forced officials to impose a series of strict restrictions.

In Cambodia, which is also experiencing a new wave of Covid-19, the capital Phnom Penh was blocked, and all wet markets in the city were closed for 14 days.

Laos, a country largely spared the pandemic’s severe impact last year, saw infections jump from 58 to 323 in less than a week.

The capital Vientiane has been locked down since last week, with authorities prohibiting people from leaving their homes unless they need to buy necessities or go to the hospital.