However, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Tuesday that while there are more test kits coming to the country, there are still not enough COVID-19 testing labs and medical personnel to operate these.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 24) — Over 160,000 Filipinos have expressed support for the Change.org online petition urging the government to expand its coronavirus testing efforts.
The petition started by a group named Mass Testing Now PH last week is calling on authorities to implement mandatory mass testing nationwide and mobilize resources so local governments units could set up their own testing centers.
The petition, which was translated in other Philippine languages, also suggested other COVID-19 outbreak responses including allocating discretionary funds to aid the embattled health care system of the country.
On March 16, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to ‘test every suspected case’ to prevent more infections and slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
“Kahit marami tayong testing kits, ine-extend po natin ang ating kapasidad ng mga laboratoryo para maging sufficient po at makumpleto ang proseso at makapag-test pa tayo nang mas marami,” said Vergeire, who is also the Department of Health spokesperson.
Since last week, COVID-19 testing in the Philippines has been restricted to people showing severe symptoms for the disease and individuals with mild symptoms but have weak immune system or high-risk pregnancy due to lack of test kits and limited testing centers.
But Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said earlier in the day the DOH is looking to revise its testing protocol so people who show even mild COVID-19 symptoms, such as fever, could also be tested after the government increased its testing capacity. This is to give them an ‘accurate’ data on the rate of infection in virus-hit communities, Duque added.
Last week, DOH spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said there is no need for mass testing yet, but the government is ready to conduct mass tests when the need arises.
DOH confirmed on Tuesday the COVID-19 cases in the country had jumped to 552, with the death toll at 35 and recoveries at 20. Health authorities said the sudden spike in cases in the past few days could be considered as an ‘artificial rise’ because the figures include cases with delayed test results. Duque said cases are also bound to increase as the government expands its testing efforts. Five government laboratories can now test COVID-19 samples.
[Translation: Even if we have a lot of test kits, we are still extending the capacity of our laboratories to be sufficient and complete so that more can be tested.]
She added that even if the DOH rolls out mass testing, it does not mean that everyone will get tested as those who show symptoms would still be prioritized.
Health authorities said the sudden spike in cases in the past few days could be considered as an ‘artificial rise’ because the figures include cases with delayed test results. Duque said cases are also bound to increase as the government expands its testing efforts.
Five government laboratories can now test COVID-19 samples.
