MEDIUM RARE
The 99.9 percent solution applies to commonly used household products, everything from bath soap, detergent, disinfectant, toilet bowl cleaner, even shampoo, everything that requires cleaning and cleansing, getting rid of germs, or so the TV commercials say.
As the regions report “minimal risk” of COVID infections, the heart is gladdened to hear that on Dec. 14, Tuesday, there were 235 new cases and 10 deaths. The only negative news was that eight laboratories did not submit their report, i.e., those figures did not tell the whole story. How many cases and fatalities were left out of the total? One percent? Ten percent?
As usual, where figures and analyzing them need to make sense, I asked Edson Guido of ABS-CBN data analytics to explain. This is what he said: “The number of deaths is independent of the daily reporting by the labs. The laboratories report the (number of) cases while the deaths that are reported daily come from disease reporting units and need to undergo validation before DOH reports them as deaths.”
I get it. It makes sense that every death needs to be verified and validated. In that case, we may infer that those listed as dead “today” did not necessarily die today but likely more than one day ago.
Edson, by the way, is in my list of “communicators of the year” along with Dr. Guido David of OCTA and DOH Undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire. These personalities know how to communicate (in layman’s language) and what to communicate (nothing esoteric). They respect their audience, appearing on screen in their workday-best without a hair out of place, hair neatly away from their face. (I would like to know who’s Dr. David’s barber. Is it true his girlfriend takes care of his ever changing hairstyles?)
In contrast, some experts look like they just woke up from bed, tired already and listless. They grope for words, they could spend a few more minutes before the mirror. Do experts have to look like a mad scientist or an unloved genius? Usec Vergeire could give them pointers on how to look sharp, smart, and simple. They don’t have to appear 99% perfect but they owe it to the people who hang on to their every word to look good.