The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) has reported 6,686 new Covid-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1.3 million, AFP reports.

The death toll climbed to 22,507 after 196 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.

The Philippines, which has more than 110m population, has tested more than 13m people since the outbreak in January 2020. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the number of coronavirus cases spiked in the past weeks.