THE downtrend of Covid-19 cases in Davao Region has nothing to do with the upcoming 2022 elections, officials clarified.
Department of Health (DOH)-Davao Covid-19 Response Operations Chief Dr. Raquel Montejo said the recent decline of active cases and daily recorded cases in the entire region is due to the low positivity rate, based on the output of the test provided by molecular laboratories.
“Actually, ang atoang cases and deaths na reported, based talaga 'yan siya sa actual test[s] na (On our cases and reported deaths, actually, it is based on the actual tests) [submitted] to us by the different laboratories... Talagang based on evidence yan siya (It is evidence based),” Montejo said on Monday, November 22, during the DOH-Davao weekly virtual presser.
The health official said this in response to claims on social media that the Covid-19 case data is manipulated as the election season is fast approaching.
“Hindi natin pwedeng itago ito kasi kailangan natin i-report ito kung ano talaga 'yung cases natin and deaths diri sa (We cannot hide it. We need to report these cases and deaths in the) region and for the entire country,” Montejo said.
Davao Covid-19 Task Force Spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser also said the elections or any events have no bearing in the low recorded cases.
“It's not because of the election because when we test for the positivity rate, mababa talaga ang (there is a low) positivity rate,” Schlosser said.
She added that the city continues to implement the Covid-19 strategies, including expanding its contact tracing efforts despite the decline of cases brought about by the large number of Dabawenyos already vaccinated.
The spokesperson said the local government had even expanded its city-owned molecular laboratories namely Los Amigos Molecular Laboratory, Davao International Airport Molecular Laboratory, and a private partnership with the Brokenshire Hospital.
Despite a large number of tested individuals, Schlosser said the city only got to record a low positivity rate.
“The testing capacity and contact tracing of Davao City has not changed. Therefore, daghan gihapon tag gina-test. Sadyang gamay lang ang atong cases (we still test a lot of specimens. It just happens that there is a low case turnout),” she said.
She urged the public to “celebrate” the improved Covid-19 situation in the region, and not mix it with “political agenda.”
“I understand there is politics involved in this one. But we are talking about health and the lives of the people. I don't think atong mga politiko, gusto nila mangamatay ilang constituents (politicians would want to put their constituents at risk),” the Task Force official said.
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)-Davao Director Alex Roldan also laughed off these theories.
“Kaniadto nga wala pa ang bakuna, ingnan dayon ang gobyerno walay gihimo. Karon nga nidaghan ang bakuna, nireduce ang cases, giingon gibaba ang cases kay hapit na ang election (Back then, when the vaccines have not yet arrived in the country, they keep on saying that the government is not doing anything. Now that we have lots of vaccines and the cases are decreasing, they are claiming that the case data is being manipulated since election is fast approaching),” Roldan said.
He also dismissed the claims of others that those vaccinated against Covid-19 would turn into zombies or would die.
Meanwhile, the DILG official reminded local government units (LGUs) set up their guidelines on the conduct of political events such as rallies and caravans within their areas as the election season is almost months away.
“Ang atong mga local government units mao ang ultimately naay dakong katungod sa pag-set up og iyahang polisiya nga dili layo sa unsa ang polisiya sa Interagency Task Force especially sa mga (The LGUs have the authority to set up its own policy which is not distant from the Interagency Task Force policies especially on the) health protocols,” Roldan said.
He said campaign organizers must secure permits from LGUs.
Political events that will not comply with the health protocols can be stopped by the local government, the official said.