DOH: OCTA yet to respond on differing COVID-19 death rate computation

This file photo shows funeral home workers in protective suits carrying a body during the start of a lockdown due to a rise in COVID cases in the city of Navotas, Manila, Philippines on Thursday, July 16, 2020. Coronavirus infections continue to rise in the country after reopening the economy that is on the brink of a recession while still struggling to combat the pandemic. The cause of death is unconfirmed. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) has yet to meet with members of the OCTA Research team to discuss differences in case fatality rate (CFR) computation for COVID-19.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the DOH has already reached out to the research team that monitors COVID-19 trends in the country but has yet to receive a response.

“Hindi [pa] po kami nakakapagmeet ng OCTA Research. We tried reaching out sa aming Viber group na kasama sila at nakapagbigay na rin ng mga katanungan ang mga kasamang epidemiologists and experts sa ating grupo, ngunit wala pa tayong nakukuhang kasagutan galing sa kanila,” Vergeire said in an online press briefing.

(We have not met with OCTA Research. We tried reaching out to them in our Viber group. Our epidemiologists and experts have also asked them questions but we have yet to receive a response.)

On Saturday, Vergeire said DOH experts intend to meet with members of the OCTA Research team to discuss their different CFR computations.

This comes after OCTA Research said the CFR in Metro Manila from March 28 to April 13 is at 5.4 percent, almost three times the 1.82 percent recorded from March 1 to March 27.

The DOH, however, later clarified that the CFR in the capital region is only at 1.46 percent, which is significantly lower than the figure given by the research group.

Vergeire earlier explained that the health department computes the CFR “based on the number of deaths over the number of confirmed cases.” Meanwhile, OCTA Research noted in its report that the higher CFR could be attributed to the overwhelmed healthcare system and more transmissible variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.

Vergeire also pointed out that there are some differing opinions in the field of epidemiology, one of which is in the computation of the CFR.

/MUF