SWS: 3 of 5 Pinoys believe China concealed COVID-19 info

Three out of five Filipinos believe China withheld information about COVID-19, which has already infected 12.7 million people across the globe, according to results of recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released on Tuesday.

Results of the July 2020 national mobile phone survey show 61% of the respondents accepted the allegation made by other countries that China did not disclose full information regarding the coronavirus, including the severity of the disease it causes and the number of deaths there.

The survey also shows 28% of respondents strongly believe while 33% somewhat believe the accusation against China. On the other hand, 23% expressed disbelief and 15% were undecided.

'Very strong' in Visayas

According to the SWS, the net belief score was "very strong" at +38. It also noted that the belief score was highest in the Visayas (+43), followed by Metro Manila (+41), Mindanao (+38), and Balance Luzon at (+35).

The first cases of COVID-19 emerged from Wuhan, China in December 2019 where the virus was believed to have spread from a wildlife market.

In February, a whistleblowing Chinese doctor, who was reprimanded for "spreading rumors" about the novel coronavirus before it was officially recognized, died after testing positive for COVID-19.

Claims that COVID-19 could have come from the Wuhan Institute of Virology also surfaced in April, but the director of a maximum-security laboratory said it was "impossible."

In May, China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said it would cooperate with the  World Health Organization's efforts to trace the origin of the virus that causes COVID-19.

However, it rejected US calls for an investigation, accusing the Western country of "politicizing the issue".

China maintained that it has been transparent on information about the virus since the onset of the outbreak. 

As of July 13, the Philippines recorded more than 57,000 cases of COVID-19 with nearly 1,600 deaths and over 20,000 recoveries. 

'Make China accountable'

The SWS said 77% of those who expressed belief that China concealed COVID-19 information have agreed that the country should be held accountable "for not immediately sharing" vital information to the world.

Meanwhile, 15% disagreed and 7% were undecided.

The net agreement score was "extremely strong" at +62 and was highest in Balance Luzon, followed by the Visayas, Metro Manila, and Mindanao.

The survey, conducted from July 3 to 6 among 1,555 Filipinos aged 18 and above nationwide, was sponsored by the Stratbase Albert Del Rosario Institute.

It has sampling error margins of ±2% for national percentages, ±6% for Metro Manila, ±5 for Balance Luzon, ±5% for Visayas, and ±5% for Mindanao. --KBK, GMA News