In a virtual briefing hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines, Gordon noted that with a 20,000 daily testing capacity, it will take 83 days to test 13 percent of Metro Manila’s population.
This is equivalent to 1.6 million people, out of the capital’s 13 million population.
“We (PRC) are aiming initially for 2 percent…but the WHO told us, you need to do 13% of Metro Manila and the country,” Gordon said.
“In 83 days, we will be able to do Manila. That’s us alone. That does not include the government…If the government and private sector also do that, then, we will be able to catch up,” Gordon said.
He added: “We have 12 machines right now. Kaya naman eh. Uunahin ang Metro Manila dahil yan ang epicenter, iyan ang hub ng Pilipinas.”
[Translation: We have 12 machines right now. It’s doable. We just have to prioritize Metro Manila because it is the epicenter, it is the hub of the Philippines.]
Calls for mass testing have been rampant on social media since March, when the Department of Health confirmed local transmission of the disease. Authorities earlier rejected the idea, but later implemented what they call a “progressive COVID-19 testing program” which prioritizes people with severe flu-like symptoms, the elderly, those with pre-existing health conditions, pregnant women with mild symptoms, and healthcare workers with respiratory symptoms.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque clarified Monday that the government’s testing capacity is now at 32,000 per day by the end of the month. He previously mentioned during the briefing that the government has already conducted and surpassed the 30,000 target last May 20.
The Department of Health noted that this estimate was based on existing resources and the maximum capacity of all licensed laboratories in the country.
The government is still doing an expanded targeted testing, which is equivalent to 1 or 2% of the population.
Roque had repeatedly said in the past that it would be “physically impossible” to do a mass testing in the country which has almost 100 million population for COVID-19 infection. He added authorities will leave such efforts to the private sector.
The DOH previously reiterated that it would also not be “cost-effective” to test asymptomatic individuals or those who do not show symptoms of COVID-19 for the meantime due to limited resources.
It noted that “laboratories are already choking” because of the surge in the number of tests being done.
There have been talks regarding a proposal to downgrade Metro Manila’s lockdown category by June 1.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Saturday that Metro Manila will likely be placed under the general community quarantine, shifting from a “high-risk” to a “low-risk” region for COVID-19 infection.
The region was placed under a “modified” enhanced community quarantine since May 16, with certain sectors such as construction and food manufacturing already allowed to resume operations after two months of work stoppage.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 25) — Around 13 percent of the National Capital Region, the hotbed of COVID-19, should be tested for the virus, in line with the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO), Philippine Red Cross (PRC) chairman and Senator Richard Gordon said Monday.
