Task force health expert laments

delayed COVID-19 data: DOH has

'lost focus'
By CNN Philippines Staff
Published Jun 14, 2020 12:20:00 AM
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Dr. Tony Leachon, Special Adviser to the National Task Force on COVID-19, expressed
disappointment at the Department of Health on Saturday, as it continues to present delayed data on
the country's cases. (FILE PHOTO)

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 13) — Dr. Tony Leachon, Special Adviser to the
National Task Force on COVID-19, expressed disappointment at the Department of
Health on Saturday, as it continues to present delayed data on the country's cases.

"Forgive me, I think the lead agency has lost focus in everything. Risk communication,
priorities, data management and execution of all plans," he tweeted.
Leachon said he was "deeply bothered" by the agency's latest case report that said 504
people have been recently infected with COVID-19 while 22 have died.

He added further that the task force needs "real time" information on the situation in
order to come up with sound decisions.

"[A]ll of the efforts are wasted if the data churned out each day are not real time,
credible and granular," he later told CNN Philippines in a text message. "Lives are at
stake."

The DOH in recent weeks has been reporting COVID-19 infections that include part of
its validation backlog, classified as "late cases." Prior to Leachon’s Saturday tweet, the
agency had said that delayed reporting on some cases was due to a number of issues
in gathering data, such as insufficient staff, duplicated names and encoding errors. The
department had assured that it had since taken steps in addressing these flaws, such
as digitizing its data monitoring system.

However, testing laboratories would still have to submit their daily accomplishment
reports on time in order for the agency to clear its backlog and release only real-time
data, the DOH earlier mentioned.

The Inter-agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging infectious Diseases is

set to send its policy recommendation to the President recommendation to the President
before he addresses the public on Monday. Metro Manila and other high-risk areas are
currently under general community quarantine with limited business operations, while
the rest of the country is under more relaxed restrictions.

CNN Philippines has reached out to the DOH for comment on Dr. Leachon’s tweets.