Netizens on Facebook (FB) and Twitter have falsely claimed that the Department of Health (DOH) will artificially increase the number of COVID-19 cases in the country two days before the May 9 elections.
The baseless claims, which started circulating on April 28 and continued to be shared a few days before the polls get underway, said the DOH will attribute a “surge” to the campaign rallies of presidential candidate and Vice President Leni Robredo. Ostensibly to evade detection, one FB post referred to the health department as “DeeOoAche.”
The claim is false. The DOH debunked this claim in a statement released on April 30.
“The Department of Health categorically denies unfounded rumors that it will report an artificial increase in COVID-19 cases close to election day for partisan use against any candidate at any level,” its statement read.
Read the full story on VERA Files Fact Check.
