COVID-19 vax data of PH breached

VAX PRIORITY | People belonging to the A1-A3 priority group line up for vaccination at a hotel in Manila in this file photo.(INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)

MANILA, Philippines — Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa on Tuesday said the Department of Health (DOH) is studying its next steps in the aftermath of the supposed breach of the COVID-19 vaccination data of the Philippines contained in the database of the World Health Organization (WHO).

“The DOH has received reports that the COVID-19 vaccination data from the Philippines’ housed with WHO has been compromised,” Herbosa told reporters.

He added, “In response, the DOH is currently in close coordination with the WHO and the Department of Information and Communications Technology to ascertain the veracity of this report, as well as to determine the extent of any possible data breaches, and the appropriate interventions, should there be any.”

Following the incident, Herbosa said the DOH had “taken steps to further reinforce the security of data systems.”

COVID cases up 27%

“The health sector has always been a target of hacking, even in other countries … so it’s really important that data systems or data managers make sure there’s appropriate and updated protection,” he said.

Meanwhile, the daily COVID-19 caseload climbed by about 27 percent to an average of 162 cases from the previous week’s average of 128 cases per day, according to the latest COVID-19 case bulletin on Monday.

Of the total 1,132 new infections recorded nationwide, 12 were severe or critical. At least 20 deaths were reported from Oct. 31 to Nov. 6.