PH expands virus testing protocols to maximize total testing capacity

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) has included in its COVID-19 testing program other frontline personnel and vulnerable patients to maximize the country’s rated testing capacity.

In a televised press briefing in Malacañang Monday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said expanding the testing protocols is among the steps the government has taken to reach its overall COVID-19 testing capacity.

The government earlier claimed that it can now conduct 42,000 tests per day as of June.

However, actual COVID-19 tests conducted daily only range between 10,000 to 11,000 in recent days, which the DOH earlier explained was due to some operational issues of accredited laboratories.

“Kinakailangang madagdagan ‘yung mga sina-sample ng ating laboratoryo, ‘yung mga pinoproseso. At ito naman po ay madadagdagan na dahil nakapag-expand na tayo ng mga sub-sectors na tinetest. Dinagdag na ho natin ang sub-sector E at sub-sector F sa ating expanded protocols” Vergeire said.

(We need to increase the samples that our laboratories are processing. And this is likely to increase because we have already been able to add sub-sectors in our testing protocols. We have included sub-sector E and F in our testing protocols.)

Vergeire explained that sub-sector E refers to other frontliners such as Barangay health workers, social workers, while sub-sector F includes vulnerable persons such as pregnant women and those who will undergo high-risk, elective surgical procedures.

To date, there are currently 59 accredited laboratories nationwide capable of detecting SARS-CoV-2— the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

The government is eyeing to test 1.6 to 2.2 million people or about 1.5 to 2 percent of the country’s total population.

Currently, there are 25,930 COVID-19 cases nationwide, including 5,954 recoveries and 1,088 deaths.