The Department of Health (DOH) has urged the public to take the COVID-19 Survey which was launched on Monday, August 15.
The Health department explained that the COVID-19 mobile phone survey was launched "to gain a better understanding of how Filipinos are keeping themselves healthy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic."
"The mobile phone survey is aimed at gathering data on COVID-19 exposure, illness, testing and diagnosis, barriers to testing, mitigation practices, and non-communicable risk factor behavior changes during the pandemic," it said in a statement.
The DOH urged the public to participate in the survey to help the government implement policies and strategies that more precisely respond to the daily realities of Filipinos in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We encourage the public to participate in this DOH-sponsored mobile phone survey, to assist the Department in its development of evidence-driven strategies that supplement and complement our Healthy Pilipinas campaign,” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said in a statement.
The survey, available in both Filipino and English, can be done in two steps using a mobile phone: via SMS or text messaging, which will be free for all mobile phone subscribers or via mobile web, where a link to a web form will be sent to all subscribers.
Participants for the survey, the DOH said, are randomly selected from a large list of phone number and there is no sign up process.
"They will only be able to participate or respond only if contacted. Participants will be contacted via SMS messages prompting them to take the survey either through SMS or mobile web," it said.
The DOH assured the public that responses will be anonymous and confidential.
"In compliance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012, all personal information of the respondents will not be disclosed to third parties, and non-identifying information will also be secured," it said.