‘This really seems to indicate flattening.’ — Dr. Edsel Salvana

• Netizens and frontliners criticized his statement.

Dr. Edsel Salvana has been active on Twitter recently because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. He has been some netizens’ source of information when it comes to the virus and how to contain it.

But recently, one of his tweets raised questions as he claimed that the situation in the country “seems to indicate flattening” even though mass testing has yet to be done.

“This is encouraging and points to a real effect of ECQ. An extension is an option, but the hardest hit will need a lot of support.”

158 new cases. That's higher than yesterday's 76 cases but lower than the March 31 peak of 538 cases. This really seems to indicate flattening. This is encouraging and points to a real effect of ECQ. Extension is an option, but the hardest hit will need a lot of support. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/zEPyYI4tjF

— Dr. Edsel Salvana (@EdselSalvana) April 5, 2020

Netizens commented that one cannot write a conclusion before even completing a data collection.

https://twitter.com/joycemaramot/status/1246740548305571841

This is why we don't say the curve is flattening based on a 2-day weekend drop. You're giving people false hope. https://t.co/Kn2Cockc1S

— ً (@raphaelmiguel) April 6, 2020

A doctor named Aileen Dualan said that it’s too early to tell if the Philippines is really flattening the curve.

Yup, "Flattening the curve" was too early to call.

Please distance safely, wear masks and wash hands! https://t.co/pj5Irj6PZA

— Aileen Dualan MD (@megamomph) April 6, 2020

Another one asked the doctor about the number of tests done each day.

Sir, have you checked the number of tests that are conducted per day? The 538 cases was a function of the number of tests that were processed that day. If you check the previous day, it was low because the number of tests that were processed was low.

— Wayne Manuel (@wdmanuel) April 5, 2020

Here are other reactions of netizens:

https://twitter.com/jerichorayel/status/1246800265375887361

https://twitter.com/darnitJC/status/1247011504420880386

This is a REALLY dangerous conclusion tho kasi di pa tayo nagmamass testing. Current evidence pa lang, although indicative of flattening, still has a high error,,, we'll only really see kung nagflaflatten talaga after mass testing is employed kaya #MassTestingNow https://t.co/CAk24s39zg

— Austin (@Probotype) April 5, 2020

what

first, we havent done mass testing yet
second, fluctuations do exist and real life stats are not always consistent
third, the conclusion is meaningless if data collection is not yet done
lastly, YOU CANNOT EXTRAPOLATE DATA FROM THE DIFFERENCE OF A FEW DAYS. https://t.co/EQelTzxeV3

— proud kabataan salot sa bayan!!! #OustDuterte (@harudagondi) April 5, 2020

One country that has truly flattened the curve is South Korea. The country’s foreign minister Kang Kyung Wha said that mass testing is important to prevent deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) has commended the country for doing the right health measures to prevent the further spreading of the deadly virus.

This is not the first time that Dr. Salvana has posted the wrong information or premature claims.

In February, Salvana tweeted a message saying that the country has already contained the virus. He even arrogantly said, “We saved your butt. You’re welcome.”

Meanwhile, in another tweet, he implied frustration over the rising cases of COVID-19 while slamming lawyers and media people.

Wait, is this the same “expert” who claimed “contained” nila yung CORONAVIRUS epidemic just weeks ago??? Koya: thanks to INTERNET, we can READ analysis by real TOP EXPERTS in the WORLD, kaya sorry nlng sayo and your “educational” tweets! Can we confirm these screenshots please… pic.twitter.com/lfPO22BVmg

— Richard Heydarian (@Richeydarian) March 30, 2020

As of writing, there have been 104 new cases of COVID-19 in a day which totals to 3764.