Philippine Health Agency Apologizes for ‘Second Wave’ Confusion

(Bloomberg) -- The Philippines’ Health Department corrected a statement made by its top official that the country is already experiencing its second wave of coronavirus infections, apologizing for the confusion it caused.

The Southeast Asian nation is still in the first wave, driven by the local community transmission of the virus, Health Director Beverly Ho said in a virtual briefing Thursday. Secretary Francisco Duque told lawmakers on Wednesday that the first wave already occurred in January when three Chinese tourists tested positive for the virus.

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• The first wave of infections hit its peak on March 31 when more than 530 new cases were reported, Ho said. The curve has started to flatten as new infections now average about 220 a day.
• The Philippines reported 213 new cases on Thursday to take the tally to 13,434. A total of 846 people have died from the virus.

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