Philippine Red Cross Blames DOH For COVID-19 Community Spread
PRC BLAMES DOH – The Philippine Red Cross held the Department of Health accountable for the spread of COVID-19 in communities and households.
According to the PRC, the DOH’s late release of results to patients who were found positive for COVID-19 was a huge factor in the spread of the disease. Based on a report from Philstar, the PRC volunteered to help the government distribute results to COVID-19 positive patients.
However, the records revealed that at least 1/3 of more than 15,700 confirmed cases since July 30 have yet to be informed of their status. As such, the PRC said this may have resulted in spreading the virus within households and communities.
Meanwhile, in the latest development, the PRC said it would start to release the results of patients who had themselves tested for COVID-19 in their facilities. This decision was made following the DOH’s approval.
As per the article, Senator Richard Gordon, Chairman of PRC said:
We welcome the DOH authorization, given the urgency of the situation, where more positive COVID cases are recorded in our country. They may have been dangerously increasing community transmission of the disease. We have devised a mechanism for releasing positive results to the individuals concerned without compromising the necessary protocols
Amid the Philippines’ battle against COVID-19, the PRC holds the bulk of the country’s testing capacity as it conducts up to 40,000 tests daily. As if August 15, the PRC has conducted a total of 484,151 tests. This makes up 22 percent of the country’s 2,083,806 samples taken nationwide since April 14.
However, the PRC could not release the results immediately has the information needs to be sent first to the DOH due to protocols. Because of this, patients receive their results late, causing delays in quarantine.
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