DOH to highlight new, active cases in reporting COVID-19 numbers starting July 10

The Department of Health (DOH) will highlight the additional as well as the remaining active cases in reporting updates on COVID-19 numbers starting on July 10, Friday.

DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Tuesday said they will no longer report the ‘fresh’ and ‘late’ cases.

"By July 10, that would be this week, we would be introducing our new way of reporting cases where there would be no fresh and late cases anymore,” she said in an interview on ANC.

“We will just be providing the general public the additional cases and we will be highlighting on the active cases instead of the cumulative number of total cases,” she added.

Vergeire explained that active cases refer to persons who tested positive for COVID-19 staying in hospitals, quarantine facilities, or under self-quarantine at home.

The active cases exclude recoveries and fatalities, she added.

“We will be putting the epidemiologic curve just to show people when the disease really started, the onset of illness of these individuals who were tested positive,” she said.

She noted that the total number of COVID-19 cases will still be reported so that the public will have an idea of the total number of infections since the start of the spread of the disease.

According to Vergeire, active cases will be highlighted since this number shows the remaining cases that need to be managed.

On Monday, the Philippines recorded 1,258 “fresh” cases bringing the total to 46,333 cases, with 12,185 recoveries and 1,303 fatalities, according to the Department of Health. —Joviland Rita/KG, GMA News