DOH disputes claim it is hiding data on COVID-19 cases

Published Jun 2, 2020 2:28:32 PM

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 2) — The Department of Health set the record straight on Tuesday, asserting that it is not hiding real data on cases of coronavirus disease.

“We did not withhold any report or any numbers. Lahat parin inilalabas, naglagay lang tayo ng bagong (We publicly report everything. We just included new) classifications,” Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire told reporters in a media forum.

The DOH sparked confusion when it changed the way it presents the COVID-19 case tally last week, separating “fresh” cases – or validated positive results reported within the last three days – from “late” cases – which refer to test results released four days or more after the announcement.

The department said it had come up with such a breakdown to clarify that the sudden and sharp spike in infections reported in recent days is an ‘artificial rise,’ as the country’s COVID-19 testing centers and the DOH work round the clock to clear their backlogs.

Vergeire explained there are two backlogs: test backlogs, which are samples left unprocessed or without results 48 to 72 hours after they were taken to laboratories, and validation backlogs, which is a verification process to avoid over-reporting due to repeat tests.

Accredited COVID-19 testing centers have backlogs of 1,691 tests as of 6 p.m. on Monday, Vergeire added.

The health official said there are now 49 health facilities which could process tests for COVID-19. These centers have the capability to conduct more than 34,000 tests, according to Presidential spokesman Harry Roque. But that is not maximized due to ‘operational issues,’ Vergeire said.

Vergeire also said that the medical supply chain problem is a ‘major limiting factor’ on how many tests can be done.

To date, actual coronavirus tests done per day are between 8,000 and 9,000, she added.

Several government officials have criticized the new case reporting system of the DOH, with an opposition lawmaker saying the department may be ‘hiding the real data’ on cases.

“If the DOH could not provide logical explanations for this, except for putting the blame on laboratories, then there is a reason to believe that it is underreporting COVID-19 cases. That is not only counter-productive because hiding the real data could be fatal,” opposition Senator Franklin Drilon said in a statement on Monday.

In a tweet on Saturday, Sorsogon Governor Chiz Escudero told the DOH not to “fudge the figures” as he conjectured that new classifications may be the agency’s “ego saving devices.”

However, Vergeire acknowledged that the new case reports may have caused confusion, but she said this is just temporary, as they would go back to their old system of reporting once they have validated all the test backlogs.

She added that Philippines is not the only country, which faces challenges in its data system, citing the case of China and Spain.

SOURCE: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/6/2/doh-on-coronavirus-data.html