The Philippines' health department has vowed to update its game plan against Covid-19 within a week and sought to beef up the healthcare workforce in the capital Manila where medical frontliners are calling for reviving strict lockdowns, Reuters reports.

In the largest call yet from medical experts to contain the virus, 80 groups representing 80,000 doctors and a million nurses, said the Philippines was losing the fight against the disease and warned of a collapse of the healthcare system from soaring infections without tighter controls.

In a statement, the Department of Health said it would come up with an updated Covid-19 strategy within seven days. It appealed to healthcare workers in the provinces and those returning from abroad to help beef up the frontline workforce in the capital, and sought help from universities and medical groups in hiring more doctors, nurses and other medical staff.