The Department of Health (DOH) is now preparing to conduct more COVID-19 testing after more than a million test kits arrived in the country. The DOH said the allocation of the test kits will be based on the population and need of every region, and will have special focus on areas with a high number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.
The categories of individuals who will undergo testing have been expanded. Other frontline workers such as barangay workers and media personnel are included.
“Ang intention po nitong ating pag-e-expand ng protocols na ito ay kailangan ‘yong mga priorities natin ay maumpisahan pa rin, ‘yong subgroups A to D. Tsaka natin mate-test ang subgroups E and F (Our intention for expanding protocols is to start with our priorities, the subgroups A to D. Subgroups E and F will follow),” DOH USec. Vergeire disclosed.
Deputy Chief Implementer for COVID-19 Response Secretary Vince Dizon earlier said the government aims to conduct one million tests by the end of July. The DOH clarified that it is not considered as mass testing yet since it is only one percent of the population.
Meanwhile, the duration for the quarantine may also be reduced as a study claimed that a COVID-19 patient is no longer contagious after 10 days. USec. Vergeire clarified that the original 14-day quarantine “still remains” especially for suspect and probable cases.
“Ito pong babawasan natin na araw, kung sakaling mairerekomenda ng eksperto, ito ay additional na 14 days pagkatapos niyo pong maospital o malagak sa quarantine facility (What will be reduced, once experts recommend it, is the addtional14 days after admission to a hospital and quarantine facility),” Vergeire said.
As of June 27, the total COVID-19 case count in the country reached 34,803 after 738 more cases were added. The recovery tally rose to 9,430 and death toll increased to 1,236.
