CLARK FREEPORT ZONE, Pampanga- Deputy Chief Implementer ofNational Action Plan Against COVID-19, President and CEO of Bases Conversion Development Authority Vince Dizon said on Tuesday, June 9, the Philippines has now a 40,000 testing capacity per day in 54 laboratories.
Dizon stressed the increase of testing capacity will also mean an increase of number in COVID-19 positive cases.
“Asahan ng ating mga kababayan na kapag dumadami ang tinetest natin, dadami ang mga mahahanap nating mga kaso, lalo ngayon na nag announce na ang ating DOH na dahil mataas na ang kapasidad natin na magtets ay di nalang yung mga may simtomas ang ite-test natin kundi pati na rin yung tinatawag nating mga asymptomatic o walang sintomas ay hahanapin din natin,” Dizon stressed.
On a significant expansion of Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing capacity of the country, Task Force T3 Czar Vince Dizon reiterated that increasing confirmed positive case of COVID-19 is not a basis to say if the situation worsen, instead, Filipinos must focus on the positivity rate.
“Dapat titignan natin yung tinatawag nilang positivity rate, yung porsyento ng mga naitetest na positibo, kung titignan nyo po ang numero natin nag peak tayo ng possitivity rate ng 15% minsan umabot pa ng almost 20%, ngayon po ay nasa 6-7% nalang,” Dizon furthered.
On the other hand, Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IAFT-EID) repatriates at Quest Hotel inside Clark Freeport Zone had already been sent home.
All OFWs with negative results from the PCR test will go home but four will be staying in the designated quarantine for further examination, according to National Action Plan against COVID-19, Chief implementor and Presidential Peace Adviser, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.
“Out of the 600 meron po tayong na-test na positive, may mga delay lang po na testing pero ang mga OFWs po na natest na positive ay inihiwalay na po natin at they were taken po sa ating mga quarantine facilities,” said Galvez.
“We are so happy nga na 3-days lang naming nagawa dito sa Clark, yun ang target naming na at least ang ating OFW will only stay 5 days sa Manila or sa kanilang holding area dito sa Clark,” Sec Galvez said. The OFWs onky stayed in the holding area for three days.
Meanwhile, Dizon attributes the quick process to the increasing testing capacity of the country compared to the previous months.
“We have 40 plus thousand per day (testing) capacity natin and 54 laboratories na po meron tayo ngayon kasama na po doon ang Jose B. Lingad laboratory na isang fully automated laboratory na kayang magprocess ng 3,000 per day kaya po ng JBLingad, so ito po ay napaka importante, dahil ngayon kahit madami ang pagdating ng atig mga OFW meron na tayong kapasidad na itest sila,” Dizon said.