DOH probes COVID-19 data ‘inconsistencies’

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) will look into the alleged inconsistencies in its data on cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country and correct them “as soon as possible,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III assured Wednesday.

The University of the Philippines (UP) COVID-19 response team earlier pointed out several supposed consistencies in the patients’ data — ranging from changes in gender, to patients recorded as dead, but are actually alive.

“I have already instructed Undersecretary (Ma. Rosario) Vergeire to look into this problem and to correct the inconsistencies and to ensure that the corrective interventions will be put in place so as to avoid in the future these data inconsistencies,” he said in a press briefing.

The errors supposedly were spotted from data culled between April 24 to April 25, where 45 cases have changed genders, while at least 75 patients became either older or younger.

At least 516 meanwhile were reclassified to a different city or location while one patient was reported dead, only to be pronounced as having survived the disease the next day.

To date, the Philippines has 11,350 confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 2,106 have recovered while 751 have died.

EDV