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Red Cross projects it will take 83 days to test 1.6M NCR residents for COVID-19 detection


The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) may be able to test 13% of Metro Manila's 13 million population for COVID-19 detection in a span of 83 days once it further ramps up its testing capacity in the region, according to its chairman Senator Richard Gordon on Monday.

"That's the target for 1.6 million Filipinos. The goal—at 20,000 per day—is about 83 days," Gordon said in a virtual interview hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines.

"What we're gonna do also here in the Red Cross is put in more machines in the other laboratories in Manila that are already functioning and put another eight machines as well as four extraction kits. Then we can start hitting that required number," he added, noting that the current testing capacity of PRC is at around 12,000 daily.

If the organization's testing capacity will be complemented by that of the government, the testing period to cover 13% of Metro Manila's population can be shortened further, the senator said.

He added that the PRC laboratories set to open in Subic, Clark, Batangas, and Laguna may also accommodate samples from Metro Manila, if needed.

Gordon said he will suggest to the Department of the Interior and Local Government to set quotas or minimum testing required per city to reach the ideal coverage of testing in the capital region.

"Dapat nating gawin, pasukin natin ang mga barangay na mayroong COVID. Doon tayo mag-test kaagad. Ika nga, drain that swamp," he added.

According to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, the Philippines has already reached its target testing capacity of 30,000 per day.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, nevertheless, clarified that this does not necessarily translate to the actual tests done per day.

"This is just an estimate, based on the number of machines,number of HR and the operating hours per laboratory. This also does not include yet the factors that may affect the operations of each laboratory," Vergeire said.

"Our actual numbers are being reported daily through our sitreps and other materials. The 32,000 is the estimated capacity sans all other factors that may affect operations of laboratories," she added. — RSJ, GMA News

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