Manila Bulletin
Philippines
PH receives 100,000 COVID-19 test kits from China; OVP donates more PPEs
Philippines
PH receives 100,000 COVID-19 test kits from China; OVP donates more PPEs
PH receives 100,000 COVID-19 test kits from China; OVP donates more PPEs
Published Mar 21, 2020 12:00 am
By Vanne Elaine Terrazola and Raymund Antonio
The Philippines received on Saturday 100,000 fast-test kits to detect the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and other medical supplies donated by China to support the country's efforts to stem further spread of the dreaded disease.
From left to right: Undersecretary Robert Eric Borje, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns Brigido J. Dulay, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr., Chinese Ambassador Huang Xi Lian, and Health Undersecretary Mario C. Villaverde (DFA / MANILA BULLETIN)
Chinese Ambassador to Manila Huang Xi Lian turned over to Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and other Filipino officials the Chinese government's donation in aid of the government's efforts against the pandemic.
Apart from the 100,000 virus test kits, China also donated 100,000 surgical masks, 10,000 N95 masks, and 10,000 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE).
In a statement, Huang said, “China will always remember the valuable support rendered by the Philippine government and people earlier to our fight against the epidemic.”
“Now, the Philippines is facing a severe epidemic situation, the Chinese side feels keenly for the Philippine people,” he added. “China will do its utmost to help the
Philippines overcome the current challenge.”
Last March 16, the Chinese embassy donated 2,000 coronavirus test kits.
“We hope these materials could lend a helping hand to the fight of the Philippine government and people against the epidemic,” Huang said.
Locsin, meanwhile, thanked China for its “tremendous help” to the Philippines.
"It is a model the rest of the world should be doing. Instead of blaming each other of what’s happening, they should all start working together to help each other. And this is concrete proof," he said in an interview following the turnover at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
“This is how we tackle a common threat to humanity. Together we help each other as best we can,” he added.
The Department of Health (DOH) said more testing kits from various countries are expected to arrive in the Philippines as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to rise.
The DOH said it is anticipating additional 120,500 test kits from South Korea, Brunei, and China. This is in addition to the 1,300 available test kits at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
With this development, the DOH said that it is “accelerating its COVID19 testing capacity.”
The DOH also reported that two additional laboratories are being set up to help in COVID-19 testing.
“Western Visayas Medical Center and Bicol Public Health Laboratory will undergo proficiency testing for one week before it can begin testing,” the DOH said.
With the availability of more testing kits, five private hospitals will also be undergoing assessment to be able to conduct COVID-19 tests.
“The DOH will be assisted by the World Health Organization and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine to assess five more molecular biology laboratories in private tertiary hospitals as possible extension labs starting March 21,” the DOH noted.
The five private hospitals are St. Luke's Medical Center-Global City, Makati Medical Center, The Medical City, St. Luke's Medical CenterQuezon City, and the Chinese General Hospital.
“We must underscore the importance of laboratory certification due to the hazards of handling a live virus. The Department is exercising utmost care in certifying more subnational laboratories and ensuring that biosafety measures are in place,” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
The University of the PhilippinesNational Institutes of Health was earlier mobilized as an extension laboratory and is “currently testing overflow samples” from the RITM.
The DOH recently announced that other subnational laboratories are now processing COVID-19 testings. These are San Lazaro Hospital, Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, and Southern Philippines Medical Center.
Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration has approved eight testing kits from South Korea, China, and Germany for commercial use. “Hospitals with laboratory capability can already procure and use ,” the DOH said.
The DOH said that it may change its testing protocols once it increases its testing capacity.
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) is expanding the distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers from Metro Manila to neighboring provinces.
On the fourth day of the Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine, Vice President Leni Robredo’s office distributed PPE sets to Batangas Provincial Hospital in Lemery, Batangas and Ospital ng Capas in Capas, Tarlac.
This was on top of the 10 Manilabased hospitals that received the latest batch of PPEs from the OVP.
Robredo said her office was able to deliver a total of 15,000 PPE sets for the health workers who are on the frontlines of preventing the spread of COVID-19.
“Patuloy ang pamimigay ng OVP ng mga personal protective equipment (PPE) sa ating mga frontliners laban sa #COVID19! (The OVP continues to distribute PPEs for our frontliners against #COVID19!)” she said in a Facebook post.
Robredo thanked logistics companies such as Transportify, Ninjavan, RAF Forwarding, and the foundation of LBC Express, Inc. that delivered the PPE sets to the hospitals.
Medical professionals and health workers have been working tirelessly to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak.
But the shortage of PPEs that will protect them from the deadly virus has put their lives at risk.
Robredo’s office also donated P5.3 million worth of extraction kits that will be used for 12,750 coronavirus tests at RITM.
“We know how testing is crucial in this time of COVID-19. Massive testing was South Korea’s best practice and they have one of the lowest mortality rates. When we asked RITM how we can help with the testing, they said they need extraction kits,” Robredo said in a separate post.
Washable face masks Meanwhile, supply of face masks got a boost after more than 17,000 washable and reusable face masks were produced by Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) training institutions. These will be distributed to COVID-19 frontliners.
TESDA Secretary Isidro Lapeña issued a memorandum last March 16, encouraging the agency’s training institutions which have registered programs in Dressmaking NC II to immediately start producing and distributing the face masks.
According to Lapeña, the TESDA face masks are made of cotton or any suitable material which are washable and reusable.
Expedite test kit processing
As this developed, Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, called on the RITM and the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) to expedite the processing of the COVID-19 test kits.
“It is very important for now to know who is positive with the coronavirus disease in the country in order to prevent the spread of this disease. This is the reason why it is important for the RITM to act fast in validating the test kits, and the FDA in processing and the approval of the correct and accurate test kits to be used by our hospitals),” he said Go.
“We are avoiding the use of unreliable test kits because of the possibility that this will give false negative result wherein a person positive with the COVID-19 will be declared negative based on the wrong result of the test kits,” he added.
“This is the reason the RITM and FDA are meticulously checking all the test kits coming from other countries, as well as the test kits invented in the country. This is in accordance with our existing laws, and the need to ensure that we are making the right and correct response to this crisis,” he explained.
Go pointed out that ensuring that the test kits we are using are accurate is as important as having ample supply of those test kits. (With reports from Dhel Nazario and Mario B. Casayuran)
From left to right: Undersecretary Robert Eric Borje, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns Brigido J. Dulay, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr., Chinese Ambassador Huang Xi Lian, and Health Undersecretary Mario C. Villaverde (DFA / MANILA BULLETIN)
Chinese Ambassador to Manila Huang Xi Lian turned over to Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and other Filipino officials the Chinese government's donation in aid of the government's efforts against the pandemic.
Apart from the 100,000 virus test kits, China also donated 100,000 surgical masks, 10,000 N95 masks, and 10,000 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE).
In a statement, Huang said, “China will always remember the valuable support rendered by the Philippine government and people earlier to our fight against the epidemic.”
“Now, the Philippines is facing a severe epidemic situation, the Chinese side feels keenly for the Philippine people,” he added. “China will do its utmost to help the
Philippines overcome the current challenge.”
Last March 16, the Chinese embassy donated 2,000 coronavirus test kits.
“We hope these materials could lend a helping hand to the fight of the Philippine government and people against the epidemic,” Huang said.
Locsin, meanwhile, thanked China for its “tremendous help” to the Philippines.
"It is a model the rest of the world should be doing. Instead of blaming each other of what’s happening, they should all start working together to help each other. And this is concrete proof," he said in an interview following the turnover at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
“This is how we tackle a common threat to humanity. Together we help each other as best we can,” he added.
The Department of Health (DOH) said more testing kits from various countries are expected to arrive in the Philippines as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to rise.
The DOH said it is anticipating additional 120,500 test kits from South Korea, Brunei, and China. This is in addition to the 1,300 available test kits at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
With this development, the DOH said that it is “accelerating its COVID19 testing capacity.”
The DOH also reported that two additional laboratories are being set up to help in COVID-19 testing.
“Western Visayas Medical Center and Bicol Public Health Laboratory will undergo proficiency testing for one week before it can begin testing,” the DOH said.
With the availability of more testing kits, five private hospitals will also be undergoing assessment to be able to conduct COVID-19 tests.
“The DOH will be assisted by the World Health Organization and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine to assess five more molecular biology laboratories in private tertiary hospitals as possible extension labs starting March 21,” the DOH noted.
The five private hospitals are St. Luke's Medical Center-Global City, Makati Medical Center, The Medical City, St. Luke's Medical CenterQuezon City, and the Chinese General Hospital.
“We must underscore the importance of laboratory certification due to the hazards of handling a live virus. The Department is exercising utmost care in certifying more subnational laboratories and ensuring that biosafety measures are in place,” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
The University of the PhilippinesNational Institutes of Health was earlier mobilized as an extension laboratory and is “currently testing overflow samples” from the RITM.
The DOH recently announced that other subnational laboratories are now processing COVID-19 testings. These are San Lazaro Hospital, Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, and Southern Philippines Medical Center.
Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration has approved eight testing kits from South Korea, China, and Germany for commercial use. “Hospitals with laboratory capability can already procure and use ,” the DOH said.
The DOH said that it may change its testing protocols once it increases its testing capacity.
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) is expanding the distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers from Metro Manila to neighboring provinces.
On the fourth day of the Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine, Vice President Leni Robredo’s office distributed PPE sets to Batangas Provincial Hospital in Lemery, Batangas and Ospital ng Capas in Capas, Tarlac.
This was on top of the 10 Manilabased hospitals that received the latest batch of PPEs from the OVP.
Robredo said her office was able to deliver a total of 15,000 PPE sets for the health workers who are on the frontlines of preventing the spread of COVID-19.
“Patuloy ang pamimigay ng OVP ng mga personal protective equipment (PPE) sa ating mga frontliners laban sa #COVID19! (The OVP continues to distribute PPEs for our frontliners against #COVID19!)” she said in a Facebook post.
Robredo thanked logistics companies such as Transportify, Ninjavan, RAF Forwarding, and the foundation of LBC Express, Inc. that delivered the PPE sets to the hospitals.
Medical professionals and health workers have been working tirelessly to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak.
But the shortage of PPEs that will protect them from the deadly virus has put their lives at risk.
Robredo’s office also donated P5.3 million worth of extraction kits that will be used for 12,750 coronavirus tests at RITM.
“We know how testing is crucial in this time of COVID-19. Massive testing was South Korea’s best practice and they have one of the lowest mortality rates. When we asked RITM how we can help with the testing, they said they need extraction kits,” Robredo said in a separate post.
Washable face masks Meanwhile, supply of face masks got a boost after more than 17,000 washable and reusable face masks were produced by Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) training institutions. These will be distributed to COVID-19 frontliners.
TESDA Secretary Isidro Lapeña issued a memorandum last March 16, encouraging the agency’s training institutions which have registered programs in Dressmaking NC II to immediately start producing and distributing the face masks.
According to Lapeña, the TESDA face masks are made of cotton or any suitable material which are washable and reusable.
Expedite test kit processing
As this developed, Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, called on the RITM and the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) to expedite the processing of the COVID-19 test kits.
“It is very important for now to know who is positive with the coronavirus disease in the country in order to prevent the spread of this disease. This is the reason why it is important for the RITM to act fast in validating the test kits, and the FDA in processing and the approval of the correct and accurate test kits to be used by our hospitals),” he said Go.
“We are avoiding the use of unreliable test kits because of the possibility that this will give false negative result wherein a person positive with the COVID-19 will be declared negative based on the wrong result of the test kits,” he added.
“This is the reason the RITM and FDA are meticulously checking all the test kits coming from other countries, as well as the test kits invented in the country. This is in accordance with our existing laws, and the need to ensure that we are making the right and correct response to this crisis,” he explained.
Go pointed out that ensuring that the test kits we are using are accurate is as important as having ample supply of those test kits. (With reports from Dhel Nazario and Mario B. Casayuran)