Manila Bulletin
Philippines
Project ARK to boost gov't RT-PCR testing capacity by 24,000 per day by end of June
Philippines
Project ARK to boost gov't RT-PCR testing capacity by 24,000 per day by end of June
Project ARK to boost gov't RT-PCR testing capacity by 24,000 per day by end of June
Published May 25, 2020 12:00 am
By MB Online
Go Negosyo’s Project ARK-PCR Initiative and its partner companies will add a total of 24,000 tests capacity per day by the end of June to complement the government’s RTPCR (Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) testing efforts.
Presidential adviser on entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion
(PCOO / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion bared this on Monday as the public looks forward to a less strict general community quarantine (GCQ), from modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), in the National Capital Region (NCR). Under this quarantine level, movements, in general, are expected to increase, most especially those who will return to work. “As we reopen the economy, we must remember to do it safely and cautiously. We must use all the tools available to us at the moment to protect the lives and livelihood of our people and to effectively fight COVID19. I believe that extensive testing is key to protecting public health, and the means to help our economy bounce back successfully from this crisis,” Concepcion said. Adequate swab testing centers will also be made accessible, helping to confirm who has been suspected with the coronavirus through the rapid antibody testing (RAT) initiated by Project ARK. This has paved the way for contact-tracing in areas where there were silent transmissions. “This would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of Joey Concepcion and his Go Negosyo team. We also thank San Miguel Corporation and Ayala Foundation for their generous support for our project. Both foundations, along with the Philippine Red Cross, have contributed a lot to our country’s COVID-19 response. With the ongoing rate of COVID-19 transmission in the country, the need to work together is crucial. Both the government and the private sector must work hand-in-hand to save more Filipinos from contracting the virus,” ARK-PCR Private Sector Chief Implementor and Iloilo Rep. Jannette Garin said Go Negosyo, Ayala Foundation, and San Miguel Foundation, together with the House of Representatives, will be activating and automating more laboratories such as Adella Serra Ty Memorial Medical Center, Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center, Bicol Regional Diagnostic and Reference Laboratory, Bohol Gallares Hospital, Butuan Medical Center, Cagayan De Oro Medical Center, Cotabato Regional Medical Center (CRMC), Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez (Tala) Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium, General Santos Medical Center, Ilocos Training Regional Medical Center, Isabela Doctors General Hospital, La Union Medical Center, National Center for Mental Health (NCMH), National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC), Ospital ng Palawan, Perpetual Hospital – Biñan, Quirino Memorial Medical Center, San Lazaro Hospital (SLH), UERM Memorial Medical Center, and West Visayas State University Medical Center. RT-PCR remains the gold standard in testing for COVID-19. However, the need for rapid antibody testing has been made apparent as the Department of Health’s numbers does not consider those who are positive but asymptomatic. When people get tested with RAT and they turn out positive for IgG and IgM despite being asymptomatic, they are given the chance to get tested for RT-PCR. As of this writing, Go Negosyo Project ARK has generated a total of 1,209,521 rapid test kits. The initiative aims to close a total of 300 partner companies this week. Combining both rapid and RT-PCR as a strategy will help restart the economy while keeping the people as safe as possible and guarding against the dreaded second wave. Meanwhile, the country’s testing capacity has so far reached 32,100 per day as the government moved to accredit more testing facilities for COVID-19, Malacañang announced on Monday. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said that the latest milestone in the national testing capacity has been reached ahead of the government’s goal of 30,000 daily tests by the end of the month. “We have reached the target of 30,000 PCR tests per day. The original target is 30,000 by May 30 but last May 20, we reached 32,100 tests per day. We have exceeded our target,” he said during the "Laging Handa" public briefing aired on state television. “Our testing capacity increased by six times in less than a month, from 5,000 last April 15,”0 he added. (With a report from Genalyn Kabiling)
Presidential adviser on entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion(PCOO / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion bared this on Monday as the public looks forward to a less strict general community quarantine (GCQ), from modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), in the National Capital Region (NCR). Under this quarantine level, movements, in general, are expected to increase, most especially those who will return to work. “As we reopen the economy, we must remember to do it safely and cautiously. We must use all the tools available to us at the moment to protect the lives and livelihood of our people and to effectively fight COVID19. I believe that extensive testing is key to protecting public health, and the means to help our economy bounce back successfully from this crisis,” Concepcion said. Adequate swab testing centers will also be made accessible, helping to confirm who has been suspected with the coronavirus through the rapid antibody testing (RAT) initiated by Project ARK. This has paved the way for contact-tracing in areas where there were silent transmissions. “This would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of Joey Concepcion and his Go Negosyo team. We also thank San Miguel Corporation and Ayala Foundation for their generous support for our project. Both foundations, along with the Philippine Red Cross, have contributed a lot to our country’s COVID-19 response. With the ongoing rate of COVID-19 transmission in the country, the need to work together is crucial. Both the government and the private sector must work hand-in-hand to save more Filipinos from contracting the virus,” ARK-PCR Private Sector Chief Implementor and Iloilo Rep. Jannette Garin said Go Negosyo, Ayala Foundation, and San Miguel Foundation, together with the House of Representatives, will be activating and automating more laboratories such as Adella Serra Ty Memorial Medical Center, Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center, Bicol Regional Diagnostic and Reference Laboratory, Bohol Gallares Hospital, Butuan Medical Center, Cagayan De Oro Medical Center, Cotabato Regional Medical Center (CRMC), Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez (Tala) Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium, General Santos Medical Center, Ilocos Training Regional Medical Center, Isabela Doctors General Hospital, La Union Medical Center, National Center for Mental Health (NCMH), National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC), Ospital ng Palawan, Perpetual Hospital – Biñan, Quirino Memorial Medical Center, San Lazaro Hospital (SLH), UERM Memorial Medical Center, and West Visayas State University Medical Center. RT-PCR remains the gold standard in testing for COVID-19. However, the need for rapid antibody testing has been made apparent as the Department of Health’s numbers does not consider those who are positive but asymptomatic. When people get tested with RAT and they turn out positive for IgG and IgM despite being asymptomatic, they are given the chance to get tested for RT-PCR. As of this writing, Go Negosyo Project ARK has generated a total of 1,209,521 rapid test kits. The initiative aims to close a total of 300 partner companies this week. Combining both rapid and RT-PCR as a strategy will help restart the economy while keeping the people as safe as possible and guarding against the dreaded second wave. Meanwhile, the country’s testing capacity has so far reached 32,100 per day as the government moved to accredit more testing facilities for COVID-19, Malacañang announced on Monday. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said that the latest milestone in the national testing capacity has been reached ahead of the government’s goal of 30,000 daily tests by the end of the month. “We have reached the target of 30,000 PCR tests per day. The original target is 30,000 by May 30 but last May 20, we reached 32,100 tests per day. We have exceeded our target,” he said during the "Laging Handa" public briefing aired on state television. “Our testing capacity increased by six times in less than a month, from 5,000 last April 15,”0 he added. (With a report from Genalyn Kabiling)