MANILA, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the Philippines surged to 98,232 after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 4,963 new cases on Saturday, making a record daily increase for the third consecutive days.

The DOH reported 3,954 new cases on Thursday and 4,063 new cases on Friday.

The DOH said that the number of recoveries further rose to 65,265 after it reported 93 new recoveries.

The death toll also increased to 2,039 after 17 more patients died.

Metro Manila topped the five provinces with the highest number of new daily confirmed coronavirus cases reported on Saturday with 2,667, followed by Cavite province, south of Manila, 405; Cebu province in central Philippines, 355; Laguna province, south of Manila, 324; and Rizal province, east of Manila, 252.