Gov’t to expand testing strategy: Palace

FILE: Medical personnel perform a swab test on returning overseas Filipino workers at the Palacio de Maynila along Roxas Boulevard in Malate, Manila on Sunday (May 10, 2020). (PNA photo by Avito Dalan)

MANILA – The government will further ramp up its efforts by conducting tests even to people who are not exhibiting symptoms of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), Malacañang said on Friday.

This, after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has approved the expansion of the testing strategy to fully utilize the 10 million reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PRC) test kits procured by the Budget and Health departments, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.

“Kasama na po sa ite-test ay hindi lang ang mga symptomatic at hindi lang ‘yung mga nagkaroon ng contact sa mga mayroong Covid-19. Kasama na rin po ang mga asymptomatic (People who will be tested include not only those symptomatic and exposed to Covid-19 patient. We will also include those asymptomatic),” he said during the Laging Handa program.

Roque said testing targets, as well as implementation items and timelines of the expanded testing strategy, will be subject to guidelines jointly prepared by the National Task Force, the Department of Health (DOH), and the DOH’s Technical Advisory Group.

He said there was also a plan to include front-liners, including media workers and other government personnel, in the expanded targeted testing for Covid-19.

“Ito ay ibabase pa rin sa expanded testing strategy na subject sa guidelines na i-issue po ng National Task Force at DOH (This will still be based on the expanded testing strategy subject to guidelines that will be issued by the National Task Force and DOH),” Roque said.

On June 29, National Task Force against Covid-19 deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon announced that the government is now aiming to test 10 million Filipinos in the next eight to 10 months.

On Friday, around 11 individuals representing various sectors asked the Supreme Court (SC) to order the government to conduct free mass testing for Covid-19.

Former Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, along with 10 other petitioners, filed a petition for mandamus before the SC to direct the current administration to conduct free mass testing, as they cited violations to Filipinos’ rights to health and information.

Roque was confident that the high tribunal would junk the petition since the government is already conducting expanded targeted testing.

“Ibabasura po iyan ng Korte Suprema kasi sa mula’t mula po, mayroon po tayong programa na targeted testing (That will be dismissed by the Supreme Court because from the very start, we already have the targeted testing program),” he said.

As of June 28, a total of 636,291 individuals have undergone Covid-19 testing in the country.