Gov’t contact tracing capability now at 80 to 90%, says Galvez

Persons identified for contact tracing in connection to COVID-19 patients undergo swabbing procedures inside UP-Philippine General Hospital, Manila. INQUIRER PHOTO/LYN RILLON

MANILA, Philippines — The chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Saturday said that the government’s capability for contact tracing has improved to 80 to 90 percent.

“Nakikita po natin na meron pa pong areas na dapat i-improve, pero yung ating improvement sa contact tracing ay tumataas na po hanggang 80 percent hanggang 90 percent na po ang kapabilidad ng ating key agencies,” NTF against COVID-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said during the Laging Handa online press briefing.

(We see that there are still areas to improve on, but the improvement on our contact tracing has increased to 80 to 90 percent based on the capability of our key agencies.)

Galvez added that the StaySafe.ph app was being endorsed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government to be used by the local government units.

The StaySafe.ph app, which was developed by MultiSys Technologies Corporation, allows users to report their health conditions as well as of their family members.

Galvez added that the task force has met with the LGUs, Metro Manila mayors, Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) and other key agencies on strategies on how to boost expanded testing and tracing by use of such apps.

Previously, the National Economic Development Authority said that the government was planning to hire 136,000 contact tracers to boost the country’s efforts against COVID-19, adding that the Department of Health would need P11.7 billion to hire them.

Meanwhile, Galvez reiterated that the government’s plans to buy 11 million personal protective equipment (PPEs) and to test one or two percent of the country’s 110 million population.

“Sa ngayon more or less mga three million na ang ating nai-distribute, one million ang ating na-procure na P1.8 billion, at saka more or less ‘yung tulong ng ating mga private sector at saka mga LGUs, more or less mga two million. So three million na po ang initially na-distribute sa mga frontliners,” he said.

(For now, more or less three million PPEs have been distributed, one million have been procured at P1.8 billion, and the help of the private sector and our LGUs more or less two million. So three million has been initially distributed to our frontliners.)

“We are planning to test more or less one percent or two percent ng ating population. Meaning more or less mga one million ang target namin by August. Tuloy-tuloy po ang gagawin nating test,” he added.

(We are planning to test more or less one percent or two percent of our population. Meaning more or less around one million will be our target by August. We will continue with our testing.)

So far, the Philippines has 21,340 COVID-19 cases, of which 4,441 have recovered while 994 have died.