OCTA: Red Cross stoppage halved reported COVID-19 cases in NCR, nearby provinces

The group of experts monitoring the spread of COVID-19 in the country urged the national government to resolve the impasse between the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. and the Philippine Red Cross.

In its monitoring report dated October 26, the OCTA research group said that the Red Cross stoppage of its testing operations resulted in the reduction of reported cases in Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna and Batangas by 40 to 50 percent.

"Without the testing facilities provided by the PRC, our isolation, quarantine, and contact tracing programs are crippled because  the LGUs do not know whether or not a person is infected with COVID-19 within the 24-48 hour time period required," the experts said.

The Red Cross on October 14 announced that it would stop COVID-19 tests chargeable to PhilHealth due to the state health insurer’s inability to settle its “ever-increasing outstanding balance.”

In a statement, Red Cross said the cessation of PhilHealth-funded COVID-19 testing would remain until the state health insurer pays its overdue balance of P930,993,000.

President Rodrigo Duterte last week said that the government would pay PhilHealth's debt to Red Cross but said that it would take time.

PhilHealth on Friday, after receiving a Department of Justice opinion on having to pay Red Cross, said that it would start paying the organization this week.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the government would already pay half of the P930-million debt and that Red Cross should resume its COVID-19 tests chargeable to PhilHealth.

"Philippine Red Cross pausing its testing operations affected the numbers in the following LGU’s in NCR, Cavite, Laguna and Batangas. The effect is a reduction in reported cases by 40 to 50%," OCTA researchers said.

OCTA said that the reproduction number in the NCR is currently at Rt = 0.63, based on actual data published by the Department of Health.

"We estimate that with the missing PRC data, the actual reproduction number in NCR is Rt = 0.72," OCTA said.

"If PRC tests results are included, the average daily new cases in NCR from October 11 will increase by 200 to 300 (estimated)," it added.-NB, GMA News