100,000 test kits donated to PH for COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines — Over 100,000 test kits for the coronavirus disease 2019 have been donated to the Philippines by other countries and donors.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, speaking at a televised press briefing Friday, welcomed the donation, saying this will help increase the number of individuals who can be tested for COVID-19.

On top of this, Vergeire also said that the country now has four more subnational laboratories that can facilitate tests for those suspected of having the disease which broke out in Wuhan in China in late 2019.

These laboratories are located at the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila, Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City and the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City. Originally, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa was the only facility certified to conduct clinical tests for the disease in the country.

“Mayroon po tayong natanggap na mahigit isang daang libong kits galing sa iba’t-ibang donors. Dahil dito pati na ang pag-operationalize ng karagdagang laboratories, mas marami na po tayong pasyenteng pwedeng i-test. Lalabas agad ang resulta. Mas maaagapan po natin ang mga nagpositibo sa COVID-19,” Vergeire said.

(We have received over 100,000 test kits from different donors. Because of this, in addition to the operation of more laboratories, there will be more patients who can be tested. The results will be out faster. We will be able to prevent COVID-19 positive patients from spreading the disease.)

Before this announcement, Vergeire also announced in a press briefing in Malacañang that the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has approved four test kit products for commercial use. She said these kits “can only be used by hospitals and laboratories with testing capacity.”

Earlier, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III blamed on the lack of sufficient testing supplies the “unintentional underreporting” of cases of coronavirus disease infections in the country.

“This is largely because of our limited testing supplies. As soon as we get more, we will be able to expand the coverage of who will be tested,” he said.

Meanwhile, Vergeire also said that the number of individuals who have been infected by the coronavirus disease in the country is now at 230 as of Friday, including 13 new cases. The death toll is now at 18, with one new addition in the count, while the number of recoveries remain at eight.

COVID-19, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, is caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. The virus is related to that which causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome but is not as deadly, with only around three percent mortality rate.

WHO said 80 percent of patients experience mild illness and eventually recover from the disease, while some 14 percent experience severe illness and five percent were critically ill.

The virus is spread through small droplets from the nose or mouth when those infected coughs or sneezes. Health authorities urge the public to practice frequent hand washing, cover their mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, and avoid close contact with those exhibiting respiratory symptoms to prevent infection.

READ: China’s donation for COVID-19 response arrives in PH – Locsin

READ: PH to receive coronavirus rapid test kits from South Korea, China — Duque

READ: Jack Ma to donate 50,000 COVID-19 test kits to PH — Pacquiao

EDV