ILOILO City – Local government units (LGUs) in Western Visayas were urged to set up test laboratories for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). They would help expand testing, a key strategy to curb the disease’s spread, said Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the national government’s policy on COVID-19.
“For example sa province dapat mayroon sila at sa city. Mga highly-urbanized cities dapat may kanilang sariling laboratories,” Galvez told governors and mayors during a meeting here on Wednesday.
For Region 6, said Galvez, the goal is to increase the testing capacity to 4,000 daily.
The Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) sub-national laboratory alone could not do this, he stressed.
“Once buong region ang hawak ng WVMC mabubulunan, so maganda mayroong dagdag na laboratories,” said Galvez.
Currently, there are four laboratory facilities licensed to conduct reverse transcription – polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing for COVID-19 in Western Visayas. In the past months, only WVMC catered to the whole region.
There are now three more new licensed laboratories. These are the following:
* Qualimed Hospital molecular laboratory in Iloilo City
* Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital molecular laboratory in Silay City, Negros Occidental
* Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital molecular laboratory in Bacolod City
The last two now process specimen for Negros Island, specifically the province of Negros Occidental and Bacolod City.
Galvez said LGUs’ setting up more testing laboratories is in line with a new government strategy to combat the pandemic – enhance contact tracing of people whom COVID-19-positive cases may have infected.
The effective contact tracing scheme in Baguio City could be replicated by other LGUs, he stressed.
In fact, Baguio City’s Mayor Benjamin Magalong has been appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as the country’s “contact tracing czar” to help other LGUs replicate his city’s strategy.
On Wednesday, Magalong held a briefing with contact tracers in Region 6 at a hotel in Mandurriao district.
“For every COVID-19-positive case, kailangan ma-contact natin pinakababa 37 based sa kanyang (Magalong’s) analysis and experience sa Baguio. They were able to reduce new cases there to zero for 14 days or even longer,” said Galvez.
This huge number of persons being traced entails many laboratories for speedy testing, he stressed.
“The Baguio contact tracers follow the trail of infection. They track where the infection is going and saan concentrated,” added Galvez.
He also pointed out the need to test healthcare workers, frontliners, locally stranded individuals, and repatriated overseas Filipino workers.
“So dapat ang testing capacity ng buong Region 6 more or less 4,000 daily,” said Galvez.
Data from the Department of Health showed the region’s four COVID-19 testing laboratories could process 1,800 daily.
With the gradual reopening of Western Visayas’ economy, the region’s testing capacity must be bolstered, stressed Galvez, to curb the spread of the disease.
Iloilo’s Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. informed Galvez his provincial government is currently setting up a P9-million COVID-19 testing laboratory at the Iloilo Provincial Hospital in Pototan town.
Iloilo City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas informed Galvez of a similar move. The city’s testing laboratory would be rising in Barangay San Pedro, Molo district.
This has a budget of P20 million, said Treñas.
As of July 29, Western Visayas had 1,208 COVID-19 cases with 17 deaths, according to the Department of Health.
But with 651 cases having recovered, the region is left with 540 active cases, the Health department stressed./PN
