PH eyes mass testing of PUMs, PUIs for Covid-19 on April 14

The PUIs and PUMs, he said, will continue to undergo a 14-day quarantine period even if the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period is already lifted. (Pexels photo)

MANILA – The government eyes to conduct massive testing of persons under monitoring (PUMs) and patients under investigation (PUIs) for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) on April 14.

“On the massive testing for PUIs and PUMs, we are also determined to fast-track the accreditation of substantial laboratories so we can start with the mass testing of the PUIs and PUMs,” said Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., National Task Force (NTF) Covid-19 chief implementer and Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, during a virtual press briefing late Thursday.

The PUIs and PUMs, he said, will continue to undergo a 14-day quarantine period even if the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period is already lifted.

“Yung tinatawag po natin na (the so-called) forced quarantine period of the PUIs and PUMs is separate from our strategy of a lockdown,” he said.

He said the government is adopting a “carrier-centric” approach to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

Those individuals already affected by the dreaded virus and those potential covid-19 carriers, he said, will be isolated away from their community.

He added this action is the task force’s “complementary strategy in order to detect, isolate and treat the Covid-19 patients” so they can be cured of the disease and return to their communities as soon as possible.

“We expect that by April 14, we shall be able to start massive testing,” he said.

He also reported that there are nine accredited hospitals in the country that are already conducting coronavirus tests for PUMs and PUIs.

Galvez also expressed hope that the government and the Filipino people will be able to win the battle against Covid 19.

He added that in the next 10 days, the government targets to convert several establishments within Metro Manila into mass quarantine facilities.

Some of the facilities which are eyed as “treatment areas” for patients who contracted the deadly virus are the Quezon Institute, the Philippine Sports Complex, Duty-Free Philippines in Parañaque, Amoranto Sports Complex, Quezon City Memorial Complex, and the Veterans Memorial Medical Center Complex.

Meanwhile, the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), World Trade Center, and Cultural Center of the Philippines will be used as isolation facilities for the PUIs and PUMs and are set to be operational by next week,

Three doctors and 50 nurses coming from the military forces, he said, will be deployed at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex to provide medical services to the patients.