Pooled testing for COVID-19 virus planned --Roque
The government cannot afford to test all Filipinos for coronavirus but may consider "pooled testing" to hasten the screening of people and stem the spread of the coronavirus, Malacañang said Tuesday.
According to Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, the pooled testing would allow the government to diagnose more people quickly using fewer supplies.
Roque made the remarks after President Duterte asked Health Secretary Francisco Duque III if the country can test all Filipinos during a meeting on the pandemic response on Monday. Duque told the President that no country can test all citizens, and that the government instead aims to test 10 million Filipinos, or 10 percent of the country's population, by 2021.
"If we can afford it, why not? But the reality is, hindi natin maa-afford ang testing sa lahat ng 110 million Filipinos. Pero gagawa po ng hakbang ang ating gobyerno para mas maparami ang testing natin. (If we can afford it, why not? But the reality is, we cannot afford testing all 110 million Filipinos. But the government is taking steps to further increase our testing)," Roque said during a televised press conference Tuesday.
"Kinokonsidera na po natin iyong tinatawag na pooled testing. 'Yung sa isang kit na testing sampung tao ang isa-swab at ite-test para makita kung mayroong positibo sa kanila. Kung mayroong positibo sa kanila, lahat sila individually, ipi-PCR (polymerase chain reaction). (We are considering pooled testing. In one testing kit, 10 people can be tested to determine who is positive. If anyone is positive among them, all of them will individually undergo PCR testing)," he said.
Under pooled testing, samples from a small group of people would be tested as one. If the test turns out negative, people in the pool will be considered clear of the virus. If the test comes back positive, everyone in the poll will be tested individually.
"Easily 25 million people can be tested through pooled testing," Roque said.
“At iyan na po ang hakbang na ginagawa ng gobyerno dahil alam natin na kapag na-test at nahanap natin kung sino ang mayroong COVID-19, pupuwede na silang i-isolate nang hindi na makahawa. (That's the step the government is taking because we know once we test and detect who has COVID-19, they can be isolated so they cannot infect others)," he said.
As of July 18, the country has conducted more than a million individual coronavirus tests. The country’s PCR testing laboratories reached 67 while 22 licensed GeneXpert laboratories are in operation.