WHO: Phl COVID Cases Rising Fastest In Region

The Philippines has the fastest increase in coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 cases in the Western Pacific, according to the World Health Organization, prompting the Department of Health (DOH) to urge the WHO not to “cherry pick” countries for comparison.

- Pia Lee-Brago

Data from the WHO showed that the Philippines recorded a total of 8,143 new cases from June 16 to June 27 – the highest among 22 countries in the region.

Singapore came in second with 2,351 new cases, followed by China with 302 in the same period.

The DOH yesterday recorded 653 more confirmed positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the country’s total to 35,455.

In its bulletin, eight more deaths and 258 new recoveries were recorded, bringing the totals to 1,244 and 9,686, respectively.

The DOH clarified the increase in COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, saying the comparison made with Singapore and other countries required a deeper understanding of population ratio versus number of cases.

The agency explained that Singapore has a population of only 5.9 million and a case load of 43,246, while the Philippines has 109 million people and 34,803 cases.

For every one million people, Singapore has a higher rate of 7,393 cases compared to the Philippines’ 318 cases, the DOH stressed.

While Singapore is able to manage its cases with a lower case fatality rate of 0.06 percent or 26 deaths per one million population, the Philippines registers a 3.6-percent CFR, or 1,236 per one million population, which is low compared with the global CFR of 5.1 percent.

Singapore has 4.4 deaths per million while the Philippines has 11.34 deaths per million.

“Our socioeconomic context, particularly living conditions, as well as health system capacity, even prior to COVID, is different from Singapore. Please take that into account when we do our analysis. Let us not cherry pick the countries we want to compare ourselves to,” the DOH said.