THE Philippines on Tuesday recorded a total of 382 Covid-19 deaths, the highest number since the pandemic began, but the Department of Health (DOH) traced the high figure to a technical issue with the case collection systems. This resulted in lower reporting of Covid-19 death counts over the past week, DOH explained.
The issue caused incomplete fatality numbers and data to be encoded and as a result, there were 341 deaths prior to April 2021 that went unreported.
“The number of deaths reported today [382] already includes the said deaths not reported in previous counts,” the DOH said.
“Despite the additional cases, the cumulative case fatality rate for the Philippines remains low at 1.7 percent, and the average deaths per day for March is at 28—comparable to the 27 average deaths per day seen in February and lower than the 32 average deaths per day last January. There has been no reported spike in the number of deaths anywhere in the country,” the DOH said.
The DOH added that upon learning of the system malfunction, the DOH Epidemiology Bureau’s Covid-19 Surveillance Quick Action Unit “took immediate action.”
“The technical issue has been resolved, and the Covid-19 dashboard now reflects the submitted numbers.”
The DOH also assured the public it is continuously working to ensure consistent monitoring and maintenance of its information systems to ensure that they operate correctly. The DOH also called on disease reporting units, local government units, and health facilities to ensure submission of complete and timely information of cases and deaths which are vital in guiding Covid-19 response strategies and interventions.
9,373 new cases
The DOH also logged a total of 9,373 additional cases with 313 recoveries. The total infections in the country stood at 812,760.
Of the total number of cases, 18.8 percent (152,562) are active cases, 79.5 percent (646,381) have recovered, and 1.70 percent (13,817) have died.
Ten laboratories were not able to submit their data to the Covid-19 Document Repository System on April 5, 2021.
Vaccine
A member of the vaccine expert panel on Tuesday said that they will recommend to the Department of Health (DOH) that infected persons should no longer wait for 90 days after their recovery before getting the vaccine.
“Gagawa pa lang kami ng [We have yet to write a] letter to make that recommendation not to wait for the 90 days for [a recovered person] to receive the vaccine,” Dr. Rontgene Solante said in an online Kapihan session.
Under the guidelines from the DOH, individuals who tested positive for Covid-19 should wait for 90 days after they have recovered before they can be vaccinated or get the second dose of the vaccine.
Meanwhile, an infected person who received the first shot of the vaccine shall also receive the second dose 14 days after the person has recovered.
Earlier, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire stressed that evidence shows that the benefits of Covid-19 vaccine “continue to outweigh the risk of severe illness and death from Covid-19.”
“The DOH advises that all eligible priority groups continue to be vaccinated. We recognize that many people are eager to be vaccinated and protect themselves and their loved ones against Covid-19. It is important to honor the priority groups in the rollout of vaccines throughout the country,” Vergeire added.
She also reminded vaccination sites to conduct thorough symptom and exposure screening.
“Potential vaccinees are also called on to be fully transparent when being assessed for history of exposure to Covid-19—this is for your protection,” she added.