Gov't aims to cover 3.3M Pinoys in expanded COVID-19 testing by Sept. 30

The government targets to subject 2 to 3% of the nearly 110 million Filipino population to COVID-19 testing by the end of September, according to the National Task Force Against COVID-19's presentation obtained by GMA News Online.

Based on the document dated July 2020, expanded testing is still a critical part of the second phase of the National Action Plan (NAP) to combat the pandemic.

To achieve this goal of covering 2.2 million to 3.3 million individuals by September 30, the NTF eyes increasing daily testing output to 32,000 in the "soonest possible time."

As of July 21, National Action Plan Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. said the Philippines' average testing output is around 27,000 per day.

Testing czar Vince Dizon recently said the country may be able to cover a cumulative total of two million Filipinos this month.

He also bared that the government targets to test 10 million Filipinos until April 2021.

Ramping up COVID-19 laboratory utilization to 50 to 80% and fast-tracking the accreditation of more laboratories would also be part of the NAP Phase II.

"Testing turn around time must be at 48-72 hours even with increased volume [of samples]," the presentation read.

Based on the Department of Health's (DOH) data, over 1.4 million individuals have undergone the COVID-19 test nationwide as of August 2.

There are currently 72 licensed RT-PCR laboratories and 23 licensed GeneXpert laboratories across the country.

The NAP Phase II—focusing on easement of lockdowns and sustaining the gains in the health aspect—was approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases on July 2. It is now being carried out.

President Rodrigo Duterte, however, approved to place Metro Manila, Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, and Rizal under the modified enhanced community quarantine again from August 4 until August 18 after several medical front liners' groups requested for a "time out."  

Galvez said the compliance of the public, unity of effort, and the capacity of the national government and local governments to manage COVID-19 cases are the top three imperatives in the second phase of the NAP.

The blueprint for the health aspect also includes speeding up contact tracing and further enhancing the treatment capacity.

On the other hand, optimizing the use of sufficient and safe public transportation, effectively managing local travelers, and exercising the Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate method for business continuity are among the economic and social recovery action points.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines breached the 100,000 mark on Sunday after the DOH announced 5,032 more infections, the fourth all-time high in a row, bringing the total to 103,185.

Total recoveries also rose to 65,557 after 301 more patients recovered from the respiratory illness, while the death toll climbed to 2,059 with 20 new fatalities. —KG, GMA News