DOH apologizes for confusion
BY WENDELL VIGILIA and GERARD NAVAL
HEALTH Secretary Francisco Duque on Thursday said the country is technically still on the first major wave of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, and not on the second wave as he told a Senate hearing on Wednesday.
Duque was heavily criticized by medical experts, lawmakers, and netizens for his “second wave” claim. Malacañang refuted his claim. But some other medical professionals and epidemiologists supported Duque’s statement, further confusing the public.
The Department of Health issued an apology for the confusion.
The country has 13,434 COVID-19 cases as of Thursday with the addition of 213 new infections. The death toll rose by four and is now at 846. The number of patients who have recovered from the disease that originated in China also rose, now at 3,000 with the addition of 68 recoveries.
Globally, the disease has infected at least 4.8 million individuals and killed almost 319,000 persons in 216 countries and territories as of May 20, according to the World Health Organization.
Duque on Thursday said what he told the senators was a “casual expression of an epidemiologic fact” because there was a small, minor wave in January brought about by the three cases of Chinese patients, before a zero-case was recorded in February.
“Indeed there was a first wave but very small which consisted of just three imported cases in January,” he told the House committee on health. “We had nothing for February, and then this was followed by a bigger wave which is now what we consider the first major wave of sustained community transmission.”
Duque admitted that the country remains on the first major wave of sustained transmission.
“In the epidemiological sense, cases that show a rise or a crest and a decrease or a trough constitute a wave, although very, very small wave. Then we had nothing for February, and then this was followed by a bigger wave which is now what we consider the first major wave of sustained community transmission,” he said.
“Either way, it can be easily construed that where we are today is the first major wave of sustained transmission,” Duque added.
The DOH, in a press conference, said it was correcting itself.
“The DOH confirms that, yes, we are in the first wave, driven by local community transmissions,” said Dr Beverly Ho, director of the DOH Health Promotions and Communication Service.
“We apologize for the confusion that this has caused,” she added.
She said the first wave began when the country started seeing the presence of a local community transmission of COVID-19 in March, and peaked on March 31 when the country registered the highest number of COVID-19 cases in a day at 538.
“We are still in this wave,” she said.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, hours after Duque made the statement at the Senate, said the country saw the first epidemiological wave in January when the three Chinese tourists tested positive for COVID-19.
She said the local transmission of cases in March was actually the second epidemiological wave, although it can also be considered as a the first major wave of COVID-19 cases.
Ho reiterated the DOH’s appeal to the public not to be “distracted” by the confusion and instead focus on preventing a new COVID-19 wave from emerging.
The DOH has repeatedly said minimum public health standards must be maintained, particularly by frequent washing of hands, physical distancing, wearing of masks, and regular disinfection, in order prevent the spread of the virus.
PROTOCOL
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, earlier on Thursday, said the country remains in the first wave.
He said Duque never told Duterte about the second wave.
He added that there is a communications protocol in connection with COVID-19, and this states the heath secretary will send the information to the President and the President, either personally or through the Office of the presidential spokesman, will inform the public about it.
“Hindi po dumaan sa protocol na iyan (It did not pass follow the protocol),” Roque said referring to Duque’s second wave statement.
But Roque said Duque’s opinion should not be considered wrong, and should just be treated as a different opinion or a different interpretation of data.
He said the varying terminology is a small matter as the more important thing is how to address, contain and treat the COVD-19 cases.
DOESN’T MATTER WHICH WAVE
Former Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral said she believes the country is still on the first wave but what wave should not be the focus of the government.
“It does not make any difference whether we are in the first or second wave. This hair splitting when it comes to whether we are in the first and second wave only serves to confuse the public,” she said.
“It only takes our attention away from the job at hand, which is to make sure we are prepared for the expected next wave,” said added.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson said medical experts were in disbelief over Duque’s pronouncement.
“Not only do I disagree, but medical experts have also expressed their disagreement with the statement attributed to Secretary Duque that we are now into the second wave because we have not got past the first wave. So how can we say we are already confronting the second wave?” Lacson told ABS-CBN News Channel.
Lacson said if the curve continues to go up, there is no reason to say the country is in the second wave of infections.
Senate majority leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said Duque’s pronouncement on the second wave of infections sent shivers to the people.
“The secretary should get his facts right and his messaging straight as wrong information can put to a bad light all efforts being done by the IATF and possibly sow confusion with the public,” Zubiri said.
`COUNTER-INTUITIVE’
Dr. Anthony Leachon, special adviser to the COVID-19 National Task Force, said he agrees with Malacañang the country is still in the first wave of the pandemic.
He said the first wave is the reason the national government imposed an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the whole of Luzon in March.
“The first wave that I know of is when we had this lockdown. It’s because the doubling time was really fast,” he said.
Leachon said it would be illogical to say the country has moved to the second wave when the government just eased the ECQ to either a modified ECQ or general community quarantine (GCQ).
“It would counter-intuitive if we are to ease the lockdown when we are already in the second wave,” said Leachon.
“Remember that we just eased the lockdown into a modified ECQ for the sake of our economy,” he added. — With Jocelyn Montemayor and Raymond Africa
