Robredo: Gov’t can’t close eyes on fact that RT-PCR is not very accessible

Vice President Leni Robredo on Friday said the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) COVID-19 tests remain inaccessible for some people who want to get tested for the disease.

In an interview with ANC, Robredo narrated personal accounts from her community visits where the “common complaint” was residents cannot access RT-PCR tests unless the local government units (LGUs) offer free swabs for its constituents.

She added that not everyone can be tested by the LGUs due to the protocols set before one can have an RT-PCR test.

“Puwedeng iba-iba ang pag-rollout ng RT-PCR testing pero we cannot close our eyes to the fact that it is not very accessible,” Robredo said.

People who can’t access these RT-PCR are forced to spend P3,000 to P6,000, she added.

Robredo, who recently launched the Swab Cab, said antigen COVID-19 tests will be helpful in the immediate isolation of people who contracted the disease, especially in communities with high level of transmission.

Last Tuesday, Malacañang said the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) will subsidize the cost of an individual's RT-PCR COVID-19 test provided that the individual meets certain conditions.

Under the country's testing protocol, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said PhilHealth will pay for the RT-PCR COVID-19 test of medical frontliners, economic frontliners, those who have been exposed to a COVID-19 patient and those who have COVID-19 symptoms.

Meanwhile, National Task Force Against COVID-19 deputy chief implementer and testing czar Vince Dizon recently rejected the renewed calls for mass testing despite the ongoing surge of cases.

He argued that the government cannot test its entire population and the Philippines “cannot test its way out of this pandemic.”

Instead, Dizon said risk-based and targeted testing means testing of persons as recommended by a doctor, persons with symptoms, persons with close contact with a COVID-19 patient, or persons coming from areas with high cases of COVID-19.

Robredo earlier called on the government to increase the number of tests in targeted areas to bring down the positivity rate to 5%.

The government is planning to ramp up its testing to 80,000 to 90,000 per day in Metro Manila and nearby provinces by using antigen test kits certified by the World Health Organization and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine along with the RT-PCR test.

On Thursday, the DOH reported 6,414 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the nationwide tally to 819,164.

The total number of active COVID-19 infections in the country is 158,701. — Hana Bordey/RSJ, GMA News