MANILA – Senators expressed their concern over the limited number of available coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing kits in the country.
“As we speak today, our stock on hand is good for 2,000 tests,” Dr. Rosanna Ditangco from the Research Institute on Tropical Medicine testified during a Senate inquiry.
Ditangco added that the institute was requesting for an additional P43 million in funding for “various needs,” including the procurement of COVID-19 testing kits.
Another Department of Health official meanwhile said that more equipment was arriving through the World Health Organization (WHO).
“There’s an incoming 4,500 extraction kits po from WHO. That would be good for 2,000 individuals,” Dr. Alethea De Guzman said.
The Department of Health (DOH) on Sunday confirmed four new COVID-19 patients on Sunday, bringing the total in the country to 10.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) two countries imposed a temporary entry ban on travelers from 14 countries, including the Philippines, in light of the virus outbreak.
The Qatari government said in a statement that the travel ban is the first step that comes in line with its effort to take all necessary preventive measures to limit the spread of the COVID-19.
Aside from the Philippines, Qatar have also imposed travel ban on Doha-bound passengers from Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, South Korea, Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria and Thailand.
The Kuwait government, meanwhile, have also imposed the temporary travel ban on the entry of Filipinos there, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
According to POEA, around 3,000 overseas Filipino workerswill be affected by Qatar and Kuwait’s travel suspension.
POEA head Bernard Olalia said this during Monday’s Senate economic affairs hearing on the impact risk assessment of COVID-19, which was caused by the virus called SARS-CoV-2 – as named by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. (With a report from GMA News/PN)
