Duterte wants DOH probe on PRC’s ‘false positives’

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night asked the Department of Health (DOH) to investigate the reported complaints about “false positives” Covid-19 tests conducted by the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).

During his Talk to the People, Duterte said he received reports that there are false-positive results in the swab testing processed in various molecular laboratories of PRC headed by Senator Richard Gordon.

“I also would like to ask. Are your testing facilities and equipment are really as good as you say they are? Because I have heard of many false-positive cases from your laboratories. Can you enlighten the Filipino people on this?” he said.

Duterte said he was informed that 44 out of 49 total hospital personnel tested positive in the swab tests processed by the PRC’s molecular laboratory in Subic turned false positives after they have themselves retested in another facility.

He said 213 personnel of the Presidential Security Group tested positive in the processing of the PRC Manila but were tested negative in their confirmatory tests.

He added that even officials of the Department of Finance have also experienced similar things from the PRC.

“Because of this information then maybe the DOH must investigate this matter. You could be putting more people at risk. You could be falsely adding to the total positive cases per day of this country,” Duterte said.

DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III earlier confirmed they received the complaint regarding the matter.

Duque said the health department and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine are investigating incidents in PRC Subic.