By John Clifford Lintao
WAITING for COVID-19 test results need not be an eternity, said the Department of Health which has delegated the Philippine Red Cross to take over the task of informing individuals for their condition.
In a statement, the PRC said they were finally given the authorization they had requested from the DOH amid concerns that individuals who tested positive were not being promptly informed resulting in the spread of the disease in communities.
“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,” said PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Senator Richard Gordon.
“We have devised a mechanism for releasing positive results to the individuals concerned without compromising the necessary protocols,” he added.
Gordon said the results will be released to individuals, accompanied by steps that they should follow, along with psychological support from PRC doctors.
“Once the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act or Bayanihan 2 is signed into law and implemented, masasabihan na din namin sila kung saang ospital o quarantine facility sila pwedeng pumunta dahil may provision dun na mage-establish ng National Referral System for COVID-19 which will be jointly developed by the DOH and the PRC,” said Gordon.
As of Saturday, August 22, 2020, the Philippines has so far recorded a total of 187,249 confirmed cases of COVID-19. This includes 114,928 recoveries and 2,966 deaths.