RITM to conduct majority of COVID-19 testing even if more kits now available

Majority of the testing for coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) will still be conducted by the Department of Health-Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (DOH-RITM) even if more kits have been made available, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said on Monday.

Vergeire made the statement amid criticisms that the DOH is failing to test enough people for COVID-19 due to lack of test kits even if the country has already registered 396 COVID-19 cases of which 33 have already died.

“Itong 100,000 na test kits, meron na po tayong allocation for subnational laboratories, depende po sa pangangailangan at kapasidad ng laboratory. May ilan na pong nabigyan na sub-national laboratory,” Vergeire said during the Laging Handa press briefing. 

“Pero mostly po ng allocation ay sa RITM pa rin kasi sila po ang may pinakamataas na numero ng magagawang test kasi marami po silang makina,” Vergeire added.

Vergeire, however, assured that those with COVID-19 symptoms such as dry cough, fever, shortness of breath, among others, will be prioritized in terms of COVID-19 testing. 

President Rodrigo Duterte, a number of senators and Cabinet members underwent COVID-19 testing although not all of them have shown symptoms even after exposure to a COVID-19 case. 

“Sinusunod pa rin po ang dating protocol sa kung sino ang dapat i-test at kung sino ang dapat manatili sa bahay,” Vergeire said.

Vergeire earlier said the Philippines is now capable of conducting 1,000 COVID-19 testing a day once the sub-national laboratories are fully operational. —KG, GMA News