3% of PH population to be subjected to expaned COVID-19 testing by gov't on Sept.

According to the National Task Force Against COVID-19's presentation, the government targets to subject 2% to 3% of the nearly 110 million Filipino population to COVID-19 testing by the end of September.

Photo credit: gmanetwork.com

Expanded testing is still a critical part of the second phase of the National Action Plan (NAP) to combat the pandemic.

To achieve the goal of covering 2.2 million to 3.3 million individuals by September 30, the NTF eyes increasing daily testing output to 32,000 in the soonest possible time from around 27,000 per day in July.

Testing czar Vince Dizon recently said the country may be able to cover a cumulative total of two million Filipinos this month. He also disclosed that the government targets to test 10 million Filipinos until April 2021.

Ramping up COVID-19 laboratory utilization to 50 to 80% and fast-tracking the accreditation of more laboratories would also be part of the NAP Phase II.

"Testing turn around time must be at 48-72 hours even with increased volume [of samples]," the presentation read.

Based on the Department of Health's (DOH) data, over 1.4 million individuals have undergone the COVID-19 test nationwide as of August 2.

There are currently 72 licensed RT-PCR laboratories and 23 licensed GeneXpert laboratories across the country.

The NAP Phase II focused on easement of lockdowns and sustaining the gains in the health aspect.

The blueprint for the health aspect also includes speeding up contact tracing and further enhancing the treatment capacity.

Galvez said the compliance of the public, unity of effort, and the capacity of the national government and local governments to manage COVID-19 cases are the top three imperatives in the second phase of the NAP.

On the contrary, optimizing the use of sufficient and safe public transportation, effectively managing local travelers, and exercising the Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate method for business continuity are among the economic and social recovery action points.