27 labs clear COVID-19 backlogs; remaining labs urged to follow suit
Published Jun 1, 2020 12:00 am
By Betheena Unite
All backlog cases of 27 operational licensed laboratories handling coronavirus disease (COVID-19) samples in the country have been cleared while the remaining laboratories were urged to submit THEIR respective line list in order to get the actual picture of the progress of the pandemic, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Monday.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III
(PCOO / MANILA BULLETIN) Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the DOH's Epidemiology Bureau “has cleared all the backlog cases for validation based on the complete line lists submitted by 27 operational licensed laboratories and the partial line list submitted by one licensed laboratory, out of the 42 that are currently in operation.” He called on the 14 remaining operational laboratories to submit their respective complete line lists in order for the department’s Epidemiology Bureau to immediately validate and include them into the official count. “We urge the 14 remaining operational laboratories who have yet to submit their complete line lists to coordinate with DOH and submit immediately,” Duque said. “These line lists are necessary for the government to provide accurate and timely information not only to our policy-makers, but also to the public that had endured the hardships brought aboutby this pandemic. Our people deserve to know,” he added. Duque also said that starting June 1, no more late cases will be reported until the remaining operational laboratories submit their complete line lists. The health department also expects all laboratories to send the daily accomplishment reports of all tests completed for the day which will be reported the following day, noting that the status of submission of the daily reports shall be made available to the public in order to provide an accurate picture of the progress of cases as the country eases its restrictions. Since May 28, the agency reformatted its case bulletin to indicate which of the newly validated cases are recent or “fresh” cases and “late” cases. Since then, the reported cases surged. However, the DOH clarified that the increasing numbers do not mean that the COVID-19 situation in the country is worsening. “Fresh” cases were results released within the last three days of the date of reporting while “late” cases refer to cases with results released four days or more behind the date of reporting, but just recently validated due to delayed submissions from the laboratories. The health department reiterated that the surge of “late” cases is attributed to the Epidemiology Bureau’s “aggressive validation of recently-submitted line lists.” Each line list contains all test results conducted since the beginning of the laboratory’s operation. The validation process eliminates possible duplication in recording of cases while also ensuring that all test results have been transmitted to the DOH.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III(PCOO / MANILA BULLETIN) Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the DOH's Epidemiology Bureau “has cleared all the backlog cases for validation based on the complete line lists submitted by 27 operational licensed laboratories and the partial line list submitted by one licensed laboratory, out of the 42 that are currently in operation.” He called on the 14 remaining operational laboratories to submit their respective complete line lists in order for the department’s Epidemiology Bureau to immediately validate and include them into the official count. “We urge the 14 remaining operational laboratories who have yet to submit their complete line lists to coordinate with DOH and submit immediately,” Duque said. “These line lists are necessary for the government to provide accurate and timely information not only to our policy-makers, but also to the public that had endured the hardships brought aboutby this pandemic. Our people deserve to know,” he added. Duque also said that starting June 1, no more late cases will be reported until the remaining operational laboratories submit their complete line lists. The health department also expects all laboratories to send the daily accomplishment reports of all tests completed for the day which will be reported the following day, noting that the status of submission of the daily reports shall be made available to the public in order to provide an accurate picture of the progress of cases as the country eases its restrictions. Since May 28, the agency reformatted its case bulletin to indicate which of the newly validated cases are recent or “fresh” cases and “late” cases. Since then, the reported cases surged. However, the DOH clarified that the increasing numbers do not mean that the COVID-19 situation in the country is worsening. “Fresh” cases were results released within the last three days of the date of reporting while “late” cases refer to cases with results released four days or more behind the date of reporting, but just recently validated due to delayed submissions from the laboratories. The health department reiterated that the surge of “late” cases is attributed to the Epidemiology Bureau’s “aggressive validation of recently-submitted line lists.” Each line list contains all test results conducted since the beginning of the laboratory’s operation. The validation process eliminates possible duplication in recording of cases while also ensuring that all test results have been transmitted to the DOH.