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    • May 27, 2021
    • 6 min read

Roque’s claim that PH ranks 2nd in ASEAN vax rollout is misleading



Focusing on the percentage or share of the population that has been vaccinated, instead of the total number of vaccine doses administered, makes for better and fairer comparison of the progress of vaccine rollout in various countries.


But Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque still chose an absolute numbers approach in his May 24 press briefing to trumpet that the country ranked second in Southeast Asia in terms of total doses of vaccines administered as of May 23.


Government agencies and officials have a history of presenting misleading COVID-19 related statistics by omitting data, stating claims without data to back them up, cherry-picking countries used for ranking comparison and using ambiguous language and selective statistics.


Roque said in the May 24 briefing:

“Good news po, mahigit apat na milyon or 4,097,425 doses na po ang na-administer na COVID-19 vaccine as of May 23, 2021. Nasa 162,514 ang ating daily rate of doses administered base sa seven-day average as of May 23, 2021.
Kung titingnan ang absolute numbers:
- Number 37 ang Pilipinas sa 196 countries na nag-administer ng COVID-19 vaccines ‘no;
- Number 13 po tayo sa Asya;
- at pagdating po sa ASEAN, tayo po ay pumapangalawa lamang po sa Indonesia
(Good news, more than four million or 4,097,425 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered as of May 23, 2021. And our daily rate of doses administered, based on seven-day average, is at 162,514 as May 23, 2021.
If we look at absolute numbers:
- Philippines ranks 37th out of 196 countries administering COVID-19 vaccines;
- We’re number 13 in Asia;
- And when it comes to ASEAN, we are second only to Indonesia)

He also flashed an infographic that highlighted the country’s rank among the 10 Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) member countries.


The state-run Philippine News Agency also reported the claim that the Philippines ranks second in terms of vaccine rollout in ASEAN countries in its website, Twitter account and Facebook page. It also used the total number of vaccine doses administered instead of the percentage of the population vaccinated as basis.


Dr. Tony Leachon, former special adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19, quote tweeted PNA’s infographic on the ranking with the caption:

This must be corrected. This is misleading. This should be based on the percentage of population to the overall goal or target of herd immunity rather than on the administered doses.

While the Philippines did record its highest daily vaccination rate on May 20, only 0.9% of the total population has been fully vaccinated and only 2.9% has received at least the first dose, according to Our World in Data and the National Task Force Against COVID-19.

NTF data correlate with Our World in Data when specifically comparing the population share of those fully vaccinated and those who have received a single dose


Our World in Data also adds a disclaimer that the total count of vaccine doses administered may not be equal to the total number of people vaccinated as different vaccines require different doses.

NTF data correlate with Our World in Data when ranking ASEAN countries by the number of vaccine doses administered


Our World in Data paints a different picture when ranking ASEAN countries by the share of population either fully vaccinated or with at least one dose


The latter rankings present a more nuanced comparison of the Philippines’ COVID-19 vaccination progress compared with the high ranking Roque and the PNA publicized.


The 0.9% share of the population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is also still a far cry from the government target set by vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. to inoculate 70% of the country’s population by the end of the year. Galvez has said he remains optimistic about achieving a daily vaccination rate of at least half a million and achieving herd immunity before the year ends.


The PNA’s Facebook and Twitter posts containing the infographic of Roque’s claim were met with callouts for misleading data presentation.


About a month ago, the Presidential Communications Operations Office also came under fire after a memo ordering government media to show “the Philippines is faring better than many other countries in addressing the pandemic” circulated on social media.


PCOO News and Information Bureau Director Virginia Arcilla-Agtay confirmed the memo’s authenticity, saying, “The President has given the instruction in order to provide adequate information and convey working policies, particularly those that aim to address the effects of the pandemic in the country. There is nothing wrong with this, nor is it a lie, it is simply amplifying facts.”


Agtay also said the country has achieved “a reputable and efficient response to the virus as compared to some developed, more advanced, and less densely populated countries.”


An April 2021 Moody’s Analytics report, however, tags the Philippines as a “laggard” of the Asia-Pacific region as it said “a record-high number of new COVID-19 cases has led to a resumption of strict lockdowns in Metro Manila, and the country faces a severe shortage of vaccines.” (LS)


References

Agcaoili, L. (2021, April 20). Philippine recovery threatened by COVID-19 surge. Philstar.com. https://www.philstar.com/business/2021/04/20/2092296/philippine-recovery-threatened-covid-19-surge


Aning, J and Chui, P. (2021, April 28). Palace to gov’t media: Stress PH ranking in COVID-19 fight. Inquirer.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1425063/palace-to-govt-media-stress-ph-ranking-in-covid-19-fight/amp?fbclid=IwAR2PxQwdKIT06u5Z00Rz9Uni4FLg31MEkMdX5mqGS0aOO_4u_NsVqT9hhos


Casilao, J. (2020, June 17). Resigned NTF adviser Leachon laments old data on COVID-19 cases. GMA News Online. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/743096/resigned-ntf-adviser-leachon-laments-old-data-on-covid-19-cases/story/


Cigaral, I. (2020, June 17). Leachon resigns over DOH's 'lack of sense of urgency,' data management problems. Philstar.com. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/06/17/2021597/leachon-resigns-over-dohs-lack-sense-urgency-data-management-problems


CNN Philippines. (2020, June 17). Dr. Leachon told to resign from COVID-19 task force after DOH rant. https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/6/17/Dr-Tony-Leachon-Special-Adviser-to-the-National-Task-Force-on-COVID-19.html


De Vera, B. (2021, April 20). PH recovery seen lagging region. Inquirer.net. https://business.inquirer.net/321388/ph-recovery-seen-lagging-region


Factrakers. (2021, April 3). PCOO post on vax status leaves out a few stats. https://www.factrakers.org/post/pcoo-post-on-vax-status-leaves-out-a-few-stats


Leachon, T. [@DrTonyLeachon]. (2021, May 25). This must be corrected. This is misleading. This should be based on the percentage of population to the overall goal or target of herd immunity rather than on the administered doses.[Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/DrTonyLeachon/status/1397000088493326340


Montemayor, M. (2021, May 23). PH ranks NO. 2 in Covid-19 vax rollout in Southeast Asia. Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1141205


National Task Force Against Covid19 (2021, May 22). FOUR MILLION MARK | As of May 22, the Philippines has administered a total of 4, 097, 425 anti-COVID vaccine doses nationwide, according to the data from the National Vaccination Operations Center.[Image attached]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/ntfcovid19ph/photos/a.104509074545028/318541593141774


National Task Force Against Covid19 (2021, May 22). Top 10 Countries Administering COVID-19 Vaccines. [Image attached]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/ntfcovid19ph/photos/pcb.318491146480152/318491056480161


NTF Against COVID-19. (2021, March 14). Statement of Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr. National Task Force Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer and Vaccine Czar on the pace of the vaccine rollout. Philippine Information Agency. https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1069500


Noble, L. (2021, April 20). PHL economy seen as region’s laggard on virus spike, slow vaccinations. Business World. https://www.bworldonline.com/phl-economy-seen-as-regions-laggard-on-virus-spike-slow-vaccinations/


Our World in Data. (2021, May 22). COVD-19 vaccine doses administered, May 22, 2021. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/cumulative-covid-vaccinations?time=2021-05-22&country=PHL~IDN~KHM~SGP~MMR~THA~MYS~VNM~LAO~BRN




Our World in Data. (2021, May 22). Share of people who received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, May 22, 2021 in the ASEAN. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-people-vaccinated-covid?time=2021-05-22&country=PHL~IDN~KHM~SGP~MMR~THA~MYS~VNM~LAO~BRN


Our World in Data. (2021, May 22). Share of people who received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, May 22, 2021. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-people-vaccinated-covid?tab=map&time=2021-05-22&country=~PHL



Philippine News Agency [@pnagovph]. (2021, May 24). LOOK: The Philippines ranked second among the countries in Southeast Asia in terms of total doses of #Covid19 vaccines administered.[Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/pnagovph/status/1396805779848679424


Philippine News Agency. (2021, April 28). Nothing wrong with ‘amplifying’ facts on PH Covid-19 response. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1138351?fbclid=IwAR2tWPdQbOHtQ13ucQ4CuSoFAweqnwcjMnzcwou_icXdLn8zmV4h4aAcSXY


Philippine News Agency (2021, May 24). LOOK: The Philippines ranked second among the countries in Southeast Asia in terms of total doses of #Covid19 vaccines administered.[Status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/690282534387523/posts/3978959152186495


Presidential Communications Operations Office. (2021, May 24). Press Briefing with Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque. https://pcoo.gov.ph/press-briefing/press-briefing-with-presidential-spokesperson-harry-roque-14/


Presidential Communications Operations Office. (2021, May 22). From the National Task Force Against Covid-19. https://pcoo.gov.ph/news_releases/from-the-national-task-force-against-covid-19/


Ranada, P. (2020, August 7). Roque's spin: Philippines has fewer cases than Indonesia because we test more. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/nation/roque-spin-philippines-less-covid-19-cases-than-indonesia-because-test-more



Rappler. (2020, June 5). FALSE: Philippines among the 'lowest in COVID-19 cases, deaths in Asia'. https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/philippines-lowest-covid-19-deaths-asia


Vera Files. (2020, August 12). VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Roque errs in COVID-19 data, wrongly classifies countries in WHO regional grouping. https://verafiles.org/articles/vera-files-fact-check-roque-errs-covid-19-data-wrongly-class


Vera Files. (2020, August 12). VERA FILES FACT SHEET: COVID-19 numbers used in measuring success of gov't response explained. https://verafiles.org/articles/vera-files-fact-sheet-covid-19-numbers-used-measuring-succes

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