SENATORS on Monday opposed the Department of Health’s (DoH) decision to stop the posting of daily coronavirus case bulletin in social media cards and situation reports through PDF files starting Jan. 1, in an attempt to streamline public communication.
DoH, in a statement on Monday, said it will only be posting daily case updates through the coronavirus tracker found on its website, which is updated at 4 p.m. every day. “This public tracker, which has been operational since the start of the pandemic, contains all information being provided in the case bulletin and the daily situation report.”
The department also assured that it will continue to provide the public with the latest information regarding the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation along with other equally valuable health programs.
“I think that it’s a mistake that the DoH will stop announcing bulletins as it’s a tool for us, the public, to know the positivity rate of infections in the country,” said Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri in a Viber message to reporters.
“I respectfully urge the DoH to continue these announcements, so that we may be guided accordingly. Now more than ever, with the Omicron variant, we should be more on guard for the public’s safety,” he added.
Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva said the daily bulletins are important in keeping vigilance up. “These daily COVID bulletins are a reminder to the public that the problem is not yet over and that we must continue to be careful and practice safety protocols,” he told reporters in a Viber message.
Senator Francis N. Pangilinan, who is running for vice president next year, noted the importance of daily bulletins in informing the general public.
“Accurate information in the spread of the disease is crucial in knowing whether or not the spread of the virus is being effectively addressed or not,” he said in a Viber message. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan