As cases for the COVID-19 virus rise and take its toll, more people start looking for information online. While others get it right, some fall for the wrong information, which could do more harm than good. So to inform the masses and to stop spreading false information about this unfortunate pandemic, we’ve listed down all the official websites where you can check for updates.
Table of Contents
GLOBAL
1. World Health Organization (WHO)
The WHO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with world public health. In the case of the coronavirus pandemic, you can expect this agency to be at the top of things. The WHO has a webpage for the coronavirus, which includes articles, reports, and videos. It can give you a better understanding of the virus, its effects, and how to prevent its spread. You can also visit its real-time monitoring map and tracker here.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
CDC is one of the major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services in the United States. The CDC has a webpage for the coronavirus, which includes everything you need to know about COVID-19 from its symptoms, complications, and prevention if you think you caught the disease.
3. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
ECDC is a European agency that aims to strengthen the defense of the EU against infectious diseases. In its coronavirus webpage, you can find a situation dashboard where you can keep track of the situation in European countries, as well as the rest of the world. It also includes facts, reports, and articles about COVID-19.
4. National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China (NHC)
NHC is responsible for implementing and regulating all laws and plans concerning public health services in China. Just like the websites above, the NHC also has its webpage where you can find the latest news of coronavirus in China, safety measures, and policies to prevent the spread of the virus, as well as prevention tips like how to wear a surgical mask properly.
LOCAL
1. Department of Health (DOH)
DOH is the country’s principal health agency. For the latest updates and reports, the DOH has a dedicated webpage for coronavirus. Here you can also find screening tools, infographics, press briefings, and situational reports for COVID-19. It also has its real-time monitoring map and tracker here.
2. Bureau of Quarantine
Bureau of Quarantine is an agency under DOH that formulates and enforces quarantine laws and regulations in the country. The agency doesn’t have a dedicated webpage for coronavirus, but you can check out its news tab for the latest deets for the virus and guidelines for seaports to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
3. LockdownPH
LockdownPH is an informative site that answers most of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the quarantine situation in the country. Josh, who is one of the staff of the site, posts questions and answers them (with source) for other Filipinos to see and comment. So if you have a question, ask away!
4. SafeTravel.ph
SafeTravel.ph is a site created by Mr. Noriel Christopher Tiglao, a professor at the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP NCPAG). The website would show you the quarantine checkpoints across Metro Manila. You just have to hover on the Stop signs to see the specific location of the checkpoint. So if you’re planning to travel from the province to Manila, check this site first.
If you want to know the number of cases of the COVID-19, you can check out these other online real-time monitoring maps and trackers.
1. DOH COVID-19 Tracker
DOH’s tracker shows the total number of Persons Under Investigation (PUIs) in the country, admitted PUIs, discharged PUIs, and the number of confirmed cases. Over at the left, there’s a per region breakdown that users can click to see the statistics. There’s also a graph below that shows the trend of the outbreak over time.
2. Microsoft (Bing)
Microsoft Bing recently launched its COVID-19 tracker. It gets its data from reliable sources like the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
3. Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by CSSE at JHU
This interactive web-based COVID-19 tracker is developed by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). It also gets its data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China (NHC). Visit its mobile version here. The company is currently in the process of conducting additional modeling of this emerging outbreak. You can read more about it here.
And there you have it. Since fake news is prevalent these days, let’s only share what’s real. With that said, don’t forget to sanitize!
