MANILA (UCAN): The National Task Force Covid-19, the Philippine government organisation tasked with dealing with the coronavirus pandemic in the Philippines said on April 13 that it had set up and opened 15 Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) mass testing facilities covering the entire country.
Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer, said on national television, “These facilities will hasten and widen our efforts to conduct Covid testing and identify Covid patients in order to give them the appropriate treatment.”
Tests had been conducted since March 12 only on symptomatic patients. Authorities had concentrated distribution of test kits to Manila where 83 per cent of Covid-19 coronavirus cases have been found.
The test centres include San Lazaro Hospital, Baguio General Hospital and Western Visayas Medical Centre in Iloilo City.
Health workers outside the capital have welcomed the move.
“It’s much appreciated. So far, most efforts have only been in Manila,” Gracia Jebulan, a doctor in Iloilo province, said.
“We do not know if there are cases here in the province because we do not have testing kits. Of course, our reports always say ‘zero cases’. But who knows? That’s why mass testing is key,” she said.
Health authorities in Manila, began installing swabbing booths in the first week of April.
Quezon City and Makati City announced on April 7 that swabbing booths were set up in major hospitals so that health workers could avoid further exposure to the coronavirus. The initiative also aimed to have a more systematic and efficient way of testing almost 500 patients per day at each booth.
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The swabbing booths are located at government hospitals with the most number of persons under investigation of having contracted Covid-19. These medical facilities are still accepting Covid-19 patients and include Quezon City General Hospital, Novaliches District Hospital and Rosario Maclang Baustista General Hospital.
Residents welcomed the move. “At least we are beginning to see aid from the government. We hope to see more booths installed so that more patients can be tested,” Marlon Francisco, a jeepney driver, said.
Some, however, raised concerns about how the tests would be conducted. “We are seven in our family, so we hope they will prioritise the poor because we are the ones who cannot afford to buy private test kits. Since there are seven in the house, it would be really scary if one us was Covid-positive,” Margarita Morato, a laundrywoman, said.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines reminded people to remember the sacrifices doctors, nurses, and other frontliners have been making.
“Together, seeing the countless acts of sacrifice and service, acts of kindness and compassion, we begin to see that the spirit of Easter is still much alive in our hearts,” Archbishop Romulo Valles, the conference president, said.
As of April 15, the Philippines had recorded 5,223 Covid-19 cases with 335 deaths.
