DOH: Fewer new COVID-19 cases due to change in data extraction time

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) attributed the fewer new COVID-19 infections reported on Thursday to a “temporary” change in its data processing.

After the Philippines logged around a thousand new COVID-19 cases for three straight days, the DOH reported only 294 additional cases on Thursday afternoon.  The last time it reported only around 200 new cases in a day was on June 5 when it recorded 244.

In a televised press briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire explained that this is because the agency adjusted the extraction time of data from its Epidemiology Bureau.

“Mula sa dating 24 hours ay 19 hours worth of data laman ang mga numero natin ngayon,” Vergeire said.

(From the previous 24 hours, our numbers today are only 19 hours worth of data.)

“Ito po ay upang mabigyan ang ating Epidemiology Bureau ng mas mahabang oras na gumawa ng in-depth analysis sa mga datos na inilalabas po antin. Ito po ay pansamantalang adjustment lamang at umaasa po tayo na mas magiging malaman at timely ang pagbibigay natin ng datos sa mga susunod na araw,” she added.

(This is to give our Epidemiology Bureau more time to do an in-depth analysis of the data that is being released. This is just a temporary adjustment and we hope that our data will become more informed and timely in the coming days.)

The latest report came from 58 out of the 72 COVID-19 laboratories nationwide, she added.

No new cases were recorded in Central Visayas, where the COVID-19 hotspot Cebu City is located.

Cebu City is the only area in the Philippines currently under the most stringent lockdown classification due to the high transmission rate, and the increasing demand for critical care.