TESTING operations at the Eastern Visayas Regional Covid-19 Testing Center (EVRCTC) are now on full swing and have zero backlog since its initial screening of samples on May 11, 2020.
In a statement, EVRCTC said it has already released 2,953 results to the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (Resu) of the Department of Health (DOH)-Eastern Visayas.
On Wednesday, June 10, the testing center released a total of 224 results, which will be disseminated by the Resu to the concerned local government units (LGUs) in the region.
The regional testing center said it will not release results directly to patients, LGUs or health facilities.
“Our special thanks to our doctors, medical technologists and other laboratory staff who have been working hard, at times, almost 16 hours a day, just to ensure that test results are available within 24 hours,” said Philip Jude Acidre, chief political officer of Tingog party-list.
Acidre, whose party-list was instrumental in opening the testing center, maintained that no payment or “sponsorship” is required for Covid-19 tests conducted by the EVRCTC.
“While there is a cost for the Covid-19 test, these are charged to PhilHealth, who eventually reimburses the hospital/test center. No out-of-pocket expenses are required from either the patient or the local government unit,” said Acidre, as he dispelled the misinformation about the EVRCTC operations.
“At the moment, the region's primary Covid-19 testing center has a total capacity to process 200 samples daily, and this is expected to increase with the full RNA automation. In fact, EVRCTC is able to release the Covid-19 test results within 24 hours,” he added.
However, a brief suspension of operations occurred during its early operations after the test kits were not transported to Tacloban City because of flight suspensions due to Typhoon Ambo last May.
Acidre reiterated the process of undergoing Covid-19 tests at EVRCTC is not complicated.
He said that under DOH Circular 2020-0179, Covid-19 testing is priority for patients or healthcare workers with severe or critical symptoms and history of travel or exposure; and for patients or healthcare workers with mild symptoms, relevant history of travel or exposure, and considered vulnerable (e.g. 60 years old or older, has other illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes, or is immunocompromised).
“Patients or healthcare workers who are not considered vulnerable but with mild symptoms and relevant history of travel or exposure, and those with no symptoms but have relevant history of travel or exposure will also be tested under the expanded testing scheme,” Acidre said.
“In fact, anyone who requests to get tested must be assessed by a licensed health professional who shall determine whether they fall into any of these prioritized groups and whether he should get tested immediately. All that one has to do is to coordinate with the DOH-Resu through the local government rural health unit or the healthcare facility. While waiting for their scheduled sample extraction, the patient will be advised to undergo home quarantine or proceed to a community quarantine facility,” he added.
According to Acidre, this is done “to avoid people crowding and lining up in the testing center to demand for tests even if they do not experience any symptom, which might result in increased cases of transmission.”
“Coordinating with the Resu and/or the RHU is important because this is crucial to effective contact tracing,” the Tingog party-list official said.
As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 10, Eastern Visayas has 38 currently admitted Covid-19 cases, with 34 recoveries and zero deaths.