MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos should not be surprised by the sudden increase of confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the country because numbers are “probably backlogs” of previous cases, the Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday.
In a public briefing of Presidential Communication’s Laging Handa, Health Undersecretary Rosette Vergeire said that the “artificial increase” in numbers of COVID-19 cases is due to the arrival of donated test kits and additional laboratories that have the capacity to conduct confirmatory testing of coronavirus disease.
“‘Yung pumapasok na resulta, maaari hindi timely baka dati pa po sila at ating hinahabol sa ngayon kaya sinasabi it might be artificial rise. Kaya ating sinasabi sa ating mga kababayan huwag po kayong magulat,” Vergeire said when asked what she meant about artificial rise in Philippines’ cases of coronavirus disease.
(The results that are coming in might not be timely, it may be these cases were already present before and we are just confirming it right now that’s why we are saying that there is an artificial rise. Which is why we are telling our countrymen not to be surprised.)
“But in these coming days, kapag natanggal na yung lahat ng backlogs, makikita na po natin ang totoong numero sa pagtaas o di kaya pagbaba ng kaso sa bansa,” the health official added.
(In the coming days, if all backlogs were reduced, we will see the real numbers of cases whether it is increasing or decreasing.)
DOH previously announced that aside from the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City, four other hospitals (San Lazaro Hospital in Manila, Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City and the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City) are allowed to test specimens for coronavirus disease.
As of Tuesday, the nationwide tally of COVID-19 cases is now at 552 while the death toll is now at 35. Also, 20 people have recovered from the respiratory disease caused by coronavirus disease.