Philippines not ready for mass testing yet — DOH exec

The Philippines is not yet ready to launch mass testing for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), according to the Department of Health (DOH) as the number of confirmed cases in the country rose to 636 on Wednesday.

"Unang una po, ang ating mga testing kits bagaman mayroon na tayong 100,000 at may parating pa po, hindi po 'yan enough para mag-mass testing tayo," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said at a press briefing.

"Ito po gagawin natin maybe kapag sufficient na ang resources natin para mas efficient po ang ginagawa natin. For now mass testing wala pa po iyan sa ating konsiderasyon," she added.

Vergeire underscored that mass testing also entails the need for more available laboratories.

"Kaya nga kinukumpleto namin ngayon na magkaroon ng extension laboratories sa buong bansa," she said.

"Kapag na-stabilize na po natin itong lahat sa laboratories natin, we can now decide if we can do mass testing or not," she added.

Vergeire said that the DOH is also preparing for procurement of more testing kits in the country to make it more accessible to the public.

"We cannot rely on donations for the rest of the time that we are responding to this crisis. Tayo po ngayon ay tumitingin na kung ano ang mga compatible na testing kits para sa ating mga makina sa ating mga laboratoryo sa Pilipinas," she said. — RSJ, GMA News