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| China has protested a Philippine health official's statement that some of its test kits were only 40% accurate |
The Philippines
No new recoveries were recorded as the Department of Health
attributed the surge to the arrival of donated test kits and opening of new
laboratories to test samples nationwide as the country presses its fight
against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Monday’s new cases were fewer than half of the 343 cases on
Sunday, the country’s largest daily tally. The number of
recoveries remained at 42.
Philippine Ambassador to China
Jose Santiago “Chito” Sta. Romana said Beijing
is sending a medical team to the Philippines
He said in Monday’s “Laging Handa” media briefing that
donating medical supplies was also among the list of China
“These medical supplies aren't donated from government to
government but from private Chinoy, Filipino-Chinese, who donated. They
bought the supplies here in China
Sta. Romana’s announcement of the medical team comes a day
after the DOH retracted its earlier statement about China-donated test kits
being inaccurate for usage.
Health Undersecretary Ma Rosario Vergeire said on Saturday
some test kits from China
The Chinese Embassy in Manila
assailed the claim as attempts to undermine Beijing
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice will allow the release
of seized medical supplies to frontline organizations, pending investigation,
amid the state of public health emergency.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told reporters in a
message that state prosecutors, “pending investigation, will allow the release
of seized and impounded medical supplies to the frontline agencies (such as the
DOH) for proper disposition.”
The release of these items, including thermal scanners, face
masks and alcohol, is “without prejudice to the outcome of the investigation,”
he said, adding that representative samples will be retained by prosecutors as
evidence.
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| Sundan ang Kuwentong Dram Love |
Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration approved on
Monday five rapid antibody test kits for Covid-19) that are being used in China and Singapore
FDA director-general Eric Domingo said the test kits could be useful in some instances such as testing patients with severe symptoms but have no capability to get tested in DOH laboratories.
FDA director-general Eric Domingo said the test kits could be useful in some instances such as testing patients with severe symptoms but have no capability to get tested in DOH laboratories.
The kits can also be used in health centers or clinics in
areas where there are suspected outbreaks of the disease, Domingo said.
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| Five rapid antibody test kits used by China and Singapore will also be used in suspected cases (Shutterstock) |
While the test kits may provide immediate results, the
patient must still undergo a confirmatory test using laboratory-based testing,
he said.
Domingo explained that the kits will only detect antibodies
produced by the patient and not the virus itself. The patient could have a
“false positive” or a “false negative result.”
Increases in the national total of the virus' carriers as of
late have been linked to the arrival of newly-donated testing kits and the
opening of new laboratories bolstering the country’s processing capacity.
As Luzon enters its third
week under enhanced community quarantine, DOH asked for compassion to
healthcare workers at the forefront of the Covid-19 fight who reportedly
suffered violence and discrimination from the public.
On Sunday, DOH condemned the acts of physical assault,
harassment and discrimination against health workers, citing the attack on a nurse
in Sultan Kudarat by five men who “ganged up” on him and splattered bleach
on his face.
DOH also said it has received reports of health workers
being refused access to public transport and laundry, blocked and fined at
checkpoints and evicted from their homes.
It also urged the Philippine National Police, the Department
of Transportation, the Department of the Interior and Local Government and
local governments to keep frontliners safe from harm and discrimination.
Meanwhile, Kathryna Yu-Pimentel, wife of Senator Aquilino
Pimentel III, gave birth to a baby girl on Sunday, Rappler reported, citing a
reliable source.
The hospital where the daughter of the Covid-positive senator
was born was not disclosed and there was no word yet of his wife’s virus tests.
However, Senator Pimentel was earlier reported as having rushed his wife to Makati Medical
Center
The baby, named Ma Kathryn Helena, is the couple’s first
child.
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