Manila begins targeted COVID-19 mass testing

The Manila City government, public information office, said Monday it can now conduct targeted COVID-19 mass testing.

The Manila Health Department and its six district hospitals can conduct 232 swab tests daily, according to the PIO. As of this writing, the capital has conducted some 934 swab tests.

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Hospitals that can conduct swab tests

  • MHD/Delpan Quarantine Facility — 50 tests per day
  • Ospital ng Maynila — 20 tests per day
  • Sta. Ana Hospital/MIDCC — 30 tests per day
  • Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center — 50 tests per day
  • Ospital ng Tondo — 17 tests per day
  • Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital — 15 tests per day
  • Ospital ng Sampaloc — 50 tests per day

The Department of Health’s Research Institute for Tropical Medicine or the University of the Philippines Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) will process the swab tests.

According to UP-PGH Director Dr. Gap Legaspi, the hospital can release test results in 2 to 3 days.

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DOH did not approve the calls of the COVID-19 mass testing in March, citing the government was “not yet ready” due shortage of resources.

Also read: 23-day-old baby dies of COVID-19 in Batangas

‘High-risk’ patients, medical workers are priority in targeted COVID-19 mass testing

High-risk patients include the elderly, pregnant women, and those with serious symptoms or pre-existing health conditions like cancer and asthma, said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.

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“Mayroon pa rin tayong prioritization dahil hindi naman infinite iyong ating test kits,” he told DZMM.

(We will still have prioritization because our test kits are not infinite.)

The country as of Sunday confirmed 4,648 cases of COVID-19, with 297 deaths and 197 patients who recovered.

The Philippines has now 15 DOH accredited testing centers across the country:

  • Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM)
  • San Lazaro Hospital
  • UP National Institute of Health
  • Lung Center of the Philippines
  • Baguio General Hospital
  • Medical Center Baguio
  • Western Visayas Medical Center
  • Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center
  • Southern Philippines Medical Center
  • Bicol Public Health Laboratory
  • St. Lukes Medical Center – Global/Quezon City
  • The Medical City – Pasig
  • Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory
  • Makati Medical City
  • V. Luna Hospital

Galvez also said the Philippines has a total of 2,673 quarantine facilities for all suspected and probable COVID-19 cases. These facilities have a total bed capacity of 165,756.