By J. Jala | 02:36 PM March 26, 2020
The wrong data entry of COVID-19 Case Tracker of the Department of Health (DOH) website created fear and some panic among Bohol residents.
On Tuesday, March 24, the website posted tha PH465, the country’s 465th confirmed COVID-19 patient, was confined in Bohol. However, entries for nationality, residence, travel history/exposure and date of lab confirmation were “for validation.”
It also said the 49-year-old PH465 was admitted at ACE Medical Center in Tagbilaran City.
The information quickly went viral in social media since COVID-19 is a pandemic. The new coronavirus sweeps across much of the world and cases exceed 300,000.
Bohol Governor Arthur Yap was quick to correct the issue on his Facebook page pointing the erroeneos entry of the COVID-19 tracker.
He said there was no PH465 patient confined in Bohol.
He said he texted DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III who confirmed that there was no specimen of a 49-year-old woman sent to DOH as said on the NCOV tracker.
Yap said that only the specimen of a male patient was sent to DOH for test and it turned out negative of COVID-19.
“Giklaro nako ni Sec. Duque nga gikan sa atong records sa Bohol, walay specimen nga gipadala ngadto sa DOH nga gikuha gikan sa usa ka 49 anyos na babae base sa NCOV Tracker. Ang atong gipadala nga specimen ngadto sa DOH para sa test, usa ka lalaki nga pasyente ug niabot na ang resulta nga negatibo siya sa COVID 19,” Yap said.
Yap also quoted Dr. Rio Magpantay of Epidemiology Bureau that “PH465 is not from Bohol and they are improving the system.”
He also added Bohol has no confirmed COVID19 case.
“Dili ta angay malisang. Nagpabilin pa nga walay kumpirmadong kaso sa COVID dinhi sa atong lalawigan sa Bohol,” Yap appealed to Boholanos.
Based on data from the DOH, there have been three confirmed COVID-19 cases in Central Visayas. One of them was a 60-year-old Chinese woman who traveled to Bohol last January. She was the country’s third confirmed 2019 novel coronavirus (2019 nCoV) patient.
Yap said as of 12:03 on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, the COVID-19 Case Tracker had removed the erroneous entry.
“As of 12:03 karong udto, ilaha ng naayo ang ilang system. Hinaut dili na maguba kay makahatag ug kaguol sa katawhan. Hinuon, dili ta angay mahadlok ug malisang kung gisunod nato ang atong mga pahimangno aron malikayan ang sakit nga COVID19,” he said.
