Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) — The Department of Health confirmed on Monday that a total of 1,245 healthcare workers have been infected with COVID-19, with 27 succumbing to the disease.

Of those who died, 21 are doctors while six are nurses.

The health department said the infected healthcare workers are composed of 464 doctors, 471 nurses, 69 nursing assistants, 41 medical technologists, 25 radiologic technologists, and 10 midwives.

The country now records a 16% infection rate among healthcare workers, with the health department confirming a total of 7,777 cases of the disease nationwide as of Monday.

The World Health Organization earlier expressed concern over the high COVID-19 incidence among the country’s medical frontliners and said it is now coordinating with DOH to look into the possible causes. According to Dr. Abdi Mahamud, WHO-Western Pacific Region COVID-19 incident manager, the alarming development may be due to the lack of personal protective gear, its improper use, or the increasing number of cases overwhelming the healthcare system.

READ: WHO works with PH on ‘worrisome’ COVID-19 infection rate of frontliners

Meanwhile, the health spokesperson delivered good news on Saturday, as she confirmed that 31 out of 40 infected staff members of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine have recovered from the viral illness. The RITM is the country's primary testing facility for the coronavirus disease.