Congressman Yap gets tested correctly by rapid test kits

MANILA, Philippines — House appropriations committee chair Rep. Eric Go Yap, whose positive test result for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was later on revoked by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), on Sunday suggested the use of rapid test kits to allay public fears on the health emergency.

Yap said those who will test positive in the rapid test kits shall be recommended for swab testing conducted by the RITM.

“So itong rapid test kit, naisip ko kung yung isang barangay, ma-dodonate-an ng ganun, and then magtetest sila, ‘yung mga mag-positive, itatabi nila, irerecommend nila sa RITM. Isang idea lang po ‘yun,” Yap told the Inquirer Sunday in a phone interview.

(If rapid test kits could be donated to a barangay and its constituents would be tested, those who will test positive could be recommended for testing at the RITM. That’s one idea.)

“Pero para sa akin po, syempre ang DOH po ang nakakaalam kung ano po ‘yung tama,” he added.

(But of course, it’s the DOH who really knows what’s right.)

Yap initially tested positive for COVID-19, but RITM later on said he remained negative, citing “clerical oversight.”

But prior to this, he said he was able to test himself through a rapid test kit given by a friend, whom he opted not to name.

The rapid testing kit showed he was negative for COVID-19, contrary to RITM’s initial results of positive.

Through rapid testing kits, Yap said more people could be tested and this could allay their fears over being infected by the virus.

“Katulad ako, nung sinabi na positive ako, nakaramdam na ako ng panghihina, nakaramdam na ako ng pagsakit ng tiyan. Kumbaga, psychological,” Yap recalled.

(Like me, when they said I was positive for the virus, I suddenly felt weak and I had a stomach ache. It’s as if it were psychological.)

“Then nung sinabing negative ako, ngayon ako na ulit ako, balik ako sa dati. Kumbaga ‘yung  psychological effect sa tao, yung nerbyos, anxiety, ang laki pong epekto sa katawan natin,” he said.

(Then when they said I tested negative, I felt okay and now I’m back to normal. It’s as if there is a psychological effect to a person. The nervousness, anxiety, it has a big effect on our body.)

Some health advocates have also urged the Department of Health (DOH) to use rapid test kits to see the “real situation” of COVID-19 in the country.

DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III, however, said the agency will continue to use the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) process since it was the standard in detecting the infection.

Health officials have so far confirmed 1,075 COVID-19 cases in the country, of which 68 have already died.