ZAMBOANGA CITY--The Department of Health in Region 9 (DOH-9) on Thursday admitted that an error had been made on the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases reported on Wednesday, attributing it to a technical glitch.
DOH-9 issued the clarification after the error, which showed that the city logged 206 cases on Wednesday, caused an uproar among local officials, who immediately pointed out that the area only registered 13 new cases on that day.
The "bloated" figure alarmed Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar as it appeared to indicate that the city recorded the highest cases on a single day in the country since the pandemic broke out last March.
DOH-9 clarified that the agency's Data Management Unit made the error at the DOH Central Office in the National Capital Region.
“The DOH Zamboanga Peninsula Center for Health Development is closely coordinating with the Data Management Unit of the DOH Central Office to clarify and verify the reported number of cases in the City of Zamboanga that was posted in our DOH Covid-19 Case Bulletin No. 312 released last January 20, 2021,” DOH-9 said in a statement.
Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite, city health officer, said the 13 cases registered Wednesday brought the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in this city to 3,868 as of January 20.
Of the total cases since last March, Miravite said at least 3,552 have already recovered, with 135 active cases and 181 mortalities. (PNA)
