The national government will expedite the accreditation of two molecular laboratories in Palawan to intensify its testing capacity for the immediate detection of COVID-19 in the area.
Secretary Vince Dizon, National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 deputy chief implementer and testing czar, said the application for the establishment of the molecular labs could be approved by next week.
Dizon said Palawan will also be supplied with 10,000 antigen testing kits and additional GeneXpert cartridges.
Puerto Princesa City was considered as an area of concern outside the National Capital Region (NCR) earlier this month due to a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases. As of May 18, the city has registered 571 active cases.
“With limited testing capacity here in Palawan, talagang wala tayong choice. Mag-antigen [testing] tayo, mag-screen tayo [ng cases], ‘pag positive, i-isolate na kaagad. No need for confirmatory test,” Dizon said on May 20.
“Kapag negative, ‘wag muna tayong pakasiguro na negative siya. Bantayan mo muna. Kung symptomatic siya at nag-negative siya, i-isolate mo pa rin ‘yun,” Dizon said.
City health officials said they are still running confirmatory tests for those who have tested positive using the antigen test.
Dizon said more vaccines will also be allocated to Palawan, in line with the directive of vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. to deliver more vaccines to areas with a high number of cases.
PDITR strategy
Health Undersecretary and treatment czar Dr. Leopoldo Vega advised Puerto Princesa and Palawan to strengthen their Prevention, Detection, Isolation, Treatment, and Reintegration (PDITR) Strategy, in order to curb the current surge in cases.
“It has always been proven that if you can have a shorter turnaround time in detection, testing, tracing, isolation, you will bring down the reproduction cycle, or the R-naught [of the virus] to below 1,” Vega said.
“It has to be very fast. If you can do it in 24 hours, test-trace-isolate and even treat, the reproduction cycle of the virus will really be shortened,” he added.
Puerto Princesa Mayor Lucilo Bayron said 250 COVID sheriffs have been deployed in highly-populated areas, while 150 more personnel are being eyed for the enforcement of health protocols.
Baguio City Mayor and contact tracing czar Benjamin Magalong likewise urged local governments to improve cooperation across their borders. (NTF COVID-19)/ AG-rir
