Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 28) — The Department of Health (DOH) will forego the daily release of COVID-19 case updates, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a report aired on Tuesday.
“Babaguhin din po natin ang COVID-19 public reporting at gagawing weekly na,” he added.
[Translation: We will change the COVID-19 public reporting to weekly reports.]
DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, in an earlier meeting with media editors, said the agency’s daily case bulletins will continue only until this week. It will then be posted every Monday starting March 7.
In another briefing on Tuesday, Vergeire noted that the weekly case bulletins will focus now on severe and critical cases as well as the intensive care unit utilization rate.
This announcement comes as Metro Manila and 38 other areas in the country downgrade to Alert Level 1 or the “new normal.”
“So starting March 7, we will be issuing a revised case bulletin kung saan magfo-focus na po tayo sa severe and critical cases and the utilization in our ICUs,” she said during a Palace briefing.
[Translation: So starting March 7, we will be issuing a revised case bulletin wherein we will focus on the severe and critical cases and the utilization in our ICUs.]
In December, the DOH made a similar announcement about shifting to weekly bulletins in an effort to streamline data. However, the plan was temporarily set aside after cases of the fast-spreading Omicron variant were detected in the country.
The health official said the COVID-19 tracker will remain on the website but it could be released weekly soon.
“Regarding the public tracker, we will retain the public tracker but eventually ipe-phase out natin na magiging once a week na rin po kasabay or aligned with our case bulletin,” said Vergeire.
[Translation: Regarding the public tracker, we will retain the public tracker but eventually we will phase it out and just release it once week along with our case bulletin.]
