The Department of Health (DOH) has denied the information circulating online containing the alleged list of COVID-19 positive individuals who are subject for contact tracing in the Davao Region.
In its statement released on Saturday evening, the DOH-Davao said the events and circumstances surrounding the issue on COVID-19 “have brought so much panic and anxiety due to the unverified news circulating in different media outlets and social media platforms.”
“DOH Davao Center for Health Development strictly upholds its ethical responsibility to the patients’ right to privacy and confidentiality of their information,” DOH-Davao said.
The department said it did not release the names and details of those subject for contact tracing.
It also said that the Department, together with the intelligence community, has started the investigation and is now tracking the people behind the release of the alleged list of names of the COVID-19 positive individuals.
The DOH said persons who will be found guilty “will be dealt with accordingly and be penalized to the fullest extent of the law.”
The city government and the DOH have asked the help of the intelligence community to enhance its contact tracing. For now, they are tracking some 400 people who attended the derby in New Matina Gallera before Davao City was put on community quarantine on March 15.
