Cebu Governor: COVID-19 not as deadly as projected

In this article published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer last May 22, 2020, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia cites local data to support her statement that COVID-19 is not as deadly as feared. Garcia says that 80% of those who contracted the SARS-COV-2 remaiin asymptomatic, and death rate due to COVID-19 is minimal at less than 1%.

Garcia also also expresses the concern that two kinds of pandemic are happening today: the coronavirus pandemic, and the other is the fear pandemic. Local data on fatalities, Garcia says, shows us that there are more people who die of other diseases. By looking at the data, Garcia maintains, people should be able to move on from the fear of COVID-19 so that the re-opening of societies can begin.

Garcia’s statements are supported by DOH-7 Regional Director Jaime Bernadas.

Hear directly from Gov. Garcia through her Facebook live address to her constituents: here. Or you may also choose to read the article attached below.

Editor’s Note: Governor Garcia’s pronouncements are a welcome relief from the usual COVID-19 narrative. It is evidence-based, and grounded on local data. It also is a confirmation of many of the insights we have been sharing on this website since we first started it.

It is our fervent wish that more government officials begin to emulate Gov. Garcia, so that we can all move on from the months of self-induced suffering, and finally focus on the things that matter to us.

The two months of lockdown has clearly illustrated to us what is wrong in our societies, but it has also offered to us a gift: it has shown us the way towards the future. Now that we understand the nature of the virus a little better, it is time to move on, united, and motivated to transform our world, our country, into one that nurtures joy, wellness, and life.