Facade of the DOH main office in Manila. INQUIRER.net file photo / Consuelo Marquez
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine health department on Friday cautioned the public on a fake message advising people to avoid the areas in Quezon Memorial Circle and East Avenue in Quezon City due to rising cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“Fake content alert: Department of Health [DOH] flags the circulating message advising the public to avoid Quezon City Circle and East area due to 400 Covid-19 cases as fake,” read the statement on Facebook.
The bogus message also cited that the Philippine Lung Center in Quezon City has 400 confirmed cases but the country’s health department only recorded 64 cases.
To date, the Philippines has 64 confirmed cases, including five fatalities of coronavirus disease, a respiratory disease which was caused by the novel coronavirus.
The novel coronavirus causes mild symptoms but it can also cause serious illness such as pneumonia for older people and those with other health issues.