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DOH: Second wave of COVID-19 cases peaked in March
A public health expert stated that the Philippines' second wave of COVID-19 cases is actually its first major wave, surpassing 10,000 infections.
Dr. John Wong, an epidemiologist and member of the government's COVID-19 task force, clarified that the initial three Chinese nationals infected in January constituted the first, albeit small, wave.
One of these initial three patients was the first COVID-19 fatality outside of mainland China.
Following a month of limited testing after the first cases, the country began to observe an increase in infections in March as testing capabilities improved.
Wong defined an outbreak wave by its characteristic rise and fall of cases, acknowledging the January infections as a wave due to this pattern, despite its small scale.
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See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año disputed Health Secretary Francisco Duque III's claim that the Philippines is experiencing its second wave of COVID-19 infections.
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The Philippines has surpassed 13,597 confirmed coronavirus cases as of May 22, 2020.
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The Philippines recorded 279 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, May 20, 2020, bringing the total number of infections to 13,221, breaching the 13,000 mark.
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Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque reiterated that the Philippines is still in the first wave of COVID-19, clarifying President Duterte's stance against Health Secretary Francisco Duque III's earlier statement about a second wave.
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Health Secretary Francisco Duque III clarified that the Philippines is experiencing its "first major wave of sustained transmission" of COVID-19, not a "second wave" as previously stated.
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