and JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR
EVERYTHING is set as the Department of Health (DOH) is set to begin today (Tuesday) the expanded testing for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in its bid to better calibrate its efforts to stop the outbreak.
Government targets to complete 3,000 tests a day starting this week, said Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, concurrent spokesman of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. He said that as of April 12, at least 33,800 individuals have been tested for COVID-19.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the government has conducted at least 35,800 tests.
She also said Vergeire said those who will be covered by the initial implementation of the expanded testing are patients or health workers with severe or critical symptoms, with travel history, and have a history of exposure to COVID-19 patients (Category 1).
Also covered by the program are patients or healthcare workers with mild symptoms, have history of travel, had contact with COVID-19 cases, and are considered as among the vulnerable population such as the elderly, those with chronic diseases, and pregnant (Category 2).
Vergeire said the expanded COVID-19 testing will be enhanced further as the government continues to boost its testing capacity.
“This will be progressive. When we reach the point where we have adequate number of laboratories and testing kits, we can expand further to include (categories) 3 and 4,” said Vergeire.
She was referring to patients or healthcare workers with mild symptoms, have a history of travel, and have had contact with a COVID-19 patient but are not part of the vulnerable population (Category 3).
Also to be covered at a later stage are patients or healthcare workers that are asymptomatic but have history of travel or exposure to a COVID-19 patient (Category 4).
For the initial implementation stages, 300 volunteer medical technicians, molecular biologists, laboratory technicians, and researchers will be deployed. Vergeire said.
She also said all 15 certified laboratory facilities will operate on extended hours as the DOH awaits results of evaluation being done on 28 other facilities.
Vergeire said the DOH has sought assistance from the Department of Science and Technology for the use of its laboratory equipment, such as their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machines.
Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr., concurrent chief implementer of the government’s national policy on COVID-19, last week said the government is eyeing the conduct of mass testing for persons under investigation starring April 14.
Nograles clarified the “mass testing” referred to by Galvez does not mean everyone would undergo testing. He said priority is given to hospitalized patients including the elderly, pregnant, and those with pre-existing condition who are in the hospitals; persons under investigation; and the health workers.
Nograles also said government continues to ramp up its efforts for COVID testing as government accredited 15 new testing centers, including St. Luke’s Quezon City and Bonifacio Global City, V. Luna Hospital in Quezon City; Medical City in Pasig City; the Makati Medical Center in Makati City; and the Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory.
“Aside from the 15 testing centers that are now operational, there are an additional 28 institutions undergoing the DOH’s laboratory certification process, while 37 more have expressed their intention to be certified as testing centers,” he said.
Nograles said the Department of Health had also been working with the Department of Science and Technology and the University of the Philippines for the training of more scientists that would help in the processing of the tests.
“Because of these developments, the DOH says that we are now in a better position to reach our target of 3,000 tests per day,” he said.
Nograles said the government hopes to double the number of tests by next week, and reach its target of 8,000 to 10,000 tests per day by the last week of April.
The city of Manila started its mass testing on Monday.
Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said the national government gave the city the test kits which will used by the city’s six district hospitals which have a combined capacity to conduct 232 swab tests a day or 1,624 tests a week.
He said the Delpan Quarantine Facility can do 50 tests a day; Ospital ng Maynila, 20; Sta. Ana Hospital, 30; Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center, 50; Ospital ng Tondo, 17; Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital, 15; and Ospital ng Sampaloc at 50 tests a day.
He said the tests will be processed by the Department of Health’s Research Institute for Tropical Medicine or the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital.
Moreno said hospitals operated by the Manila City government are now authorized to send COVID-19 patients to the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, which was turned into a quarantine facility by the national government.
Manila City Health Officer Dr. Arnold Pangan said the local government sent three COVID-19 patients to the quarantine facility on Monday.
Sen. Christopher Go, chairman of the Senate health committee, said he believes the death toll from COVID-19 may be higher than those recorded by the DOH. He said many persons who showed COVID-19 symptoms have died without reaching the hospital, and without getting tested, and therefore were not reported. — With Raymond Africa
