Valenzuela starts mass testing

MANILA, Philippines — The Valenzuela City government started its first batch of mass testing for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID) yesterday, the first local government unit to do so during the lockdown.

In a press conference yesterday, Mayor Rex Gatchalian said they plan to finish testing all their 537 persons under investigation (PUIs) and monitoring (PUMs) in 20 days, with results out in two to three days.

At least 25 patients were tested yesterday using kits sourced from South Korea and procured from a supplier accredited by the Food and Drugs Administration. 

With 1,000 test kits per week, the city government plans to test at least 25 persons per day, Gatchalian said.

Under the city’s targeted mass testing, the city’s epidemiology and surveillance unit went to the houses of PUIs and PUMs to take nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab test samples from the patients.

The test kits were purchased at P2,650 each while processing by The Medical City each costs P2,500, for a total of P5,150 per patient.

The localized mass testing would enable the city government to target resources on communities with confirmed COVID-19 patients, the mayor said.

Those who were found positive but are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms will be housed in central isolation units prepared by the city government.

“At the end of 20 days, we should have a clear idea as to how many positives there are in the city. At least now, resources can be targeted where it’s needed the most,” Gatchalian said.

QC targets areas with PUIs

The Quezon City government, on the other hand, will begin community-based testing in areas with a high number of PUIs.

City health officer Esperanza Arias said they aim to conduct an initial 1,300 tests using kits from the DOH.

“We need to flatten the curve by testing PUIs and putting them in one of our facilities while waiting for their results,” she said.

“We want to avoid a situation where the patient might infect a relative whose immune system is compromised,” she added.

Mayor Joy Belmonte stressed the need for community-based testing, in addition to social distancing and mass testing, to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

“If we can have all three things together, we can secure our city and protect the population from further contamination,” she said.

Rolando Cruz, head of the city’s epidemiology and surveillance unit, said people showing symptoms of COVID-19 would be the first to be tested. – With Janvic Mateo