The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday recorded 7,217 new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, bringing the country's total to 1,247,899.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in the Philippines increased to 55,790, which is equivalent to 4.5 percent of the country’s caseload, the DOH said.

The DOH expressed hopes that the percentage of active COVID-19 cases will remain below five percent.

“We want that to stay that way, huwag na lumagpas pa doon sa around four percent of the total cases remaining to be active (We don’t want to go beyond four percent of the total cases remaining to be active),” said Dr. Alethea de Guzman of the DOH’s Epidemiology Bureau.

Of the ill patients, 93.6 percent were experiencing mild symptoms, two percent were asymptomatic, 1.4 percent were critical, 1.8 percent were in severe condition, and 1.27 percent were experiencing moderate symptoms.

A total of 21,357 patients have died due to the disease, including the 199 new fatalities recorded on Thursday, the DOH said.

The DOH, meanwhile, noted that there is a decline in the number of COVID-19 deaths being reported.

“We want a more continuous and faster decline in our deaths, that is why we always emphasize in ensuring up our healthcare capacity, we need to prioritize the availability of critical care capacity, such as our ICU beds, para yung nangangailangan nito (for those who need it): the severe, critical which are at most risk of deaths,” said De Guzman.

Meanwhile, the recovery tally also increased to 1,170,752 by 3,483, the DOH said. The recovery tally accounts for 93.8 percent of the overall caseload of the country.