"Vast resources will need to be mobilized to set up the labs, acquire the test kits, train personnel for swab collection and handling, and shorten test turn-around time."
"Vast resources will need to be mobilized to set up the labs, acquire the test kits, train personnel for swab collection and handling, and shorten test turn-around time."As mass testing is accelerating, the rise in COVID-19 cases less than a week from the target ending of the two-month lockdown and fears of a second wave of infections have prompted the Metro Manila Council to recommend yet another extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
This position of the 17 mayors in the National Capital Region (NCR), though recommendatory, will be in the agenda of the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) as they convene today to evaluate whether Metro-Manila is ready for any easing of ECQ restrictions.
Though there are some views that there are several areas that could possibly be relaxed to general community quarantine, Metro Manila’s mayors are understandably cautious because of the contiguous geography of NCR and the disparate capacities of each jurisdiction to control movement when people start going to work. The Department of Health is even more cautious, having cited that though the “critical care utilization” is still within capacity, the situation in the NCR is about to reach the maximum. This means that serious cases may run out of beds, ventilators, and isolation rooms.
So, are we there yet? What should we do next?
These are difficult questions that the IATF will have to carefully address today with an honest assessment of their data and performance of all ongoing interventions to fight this public health crisis and, the catastrophic economic effects of this Wuhan pandemic.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has this simple message to all countries: “The most effective way to prevent infections and save lives is breaking the chains of transmission. And to do that, you must test and isolate. You cannot fight a fire blindfolded. And we cannot stop this pandemic if we don’t know who is infected. TEST, TEST, TEST!” This is the battle cry of newly appointed testing czar Vince Dizon as he outlined an end-to-end management system for the newly launched public-private Task Force T3 “Test, Track, Treat.”
The first bucket of T3 is an extensive communications campaign to instill a new discipline of hygiene and social distancing which by itself is already an effective barrier for the virus if only all of us practice it. Then comes the all critical mass testing using the most accurate RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) and rapid antibody tests and deep contact tracing of all who tested positive and are guided to quarantine and isolation facilities or home self-isolation as appropriate for each case. Depending on the severity, COVID-19 patients will then undergo treatment either by self-isolation at their homes or quarantine facilities in public or private hospitals. When patients recover and are certified negative for the virus, more safety protocols must continue to be observed to prevent reinfection. The last phase is an all nation transition to the “new Normal.”
Underlining all these processes is a single real-time data system that enables National and LGU decision-making. This is where technology must be harnessed to manage the data gathered from all these stages into instructive reports to guide the IATF’s decisions especially in balancing the saving of lives and preventing economic collapse.
The first objective of T3 is to build the capacity for testing from less than 5,000 per day to 30,000 or more by May 30th. Here is where the support of the private sector task force members will be indispensable as vast resources will need to be mobilized to set up the labs, acquire the test kits, train personnel for swab collection and handling, and shorten test turn-around time from 2 weeks to 24 to 48 hours or even faster. Enough personal protection equipment (PPE) must be available for all frontliners that will be deployed for mass testing.
The T3 task force led by the DOH is supported by the Asian Development Bank and already has the backing of Ayala Group’s AC Health, Metro Pacific (MPIC) Hospital Group, Unilab, and big business groups under the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation. The Philippine National Red Cross has integrated with T3 and has the biggest testing facility in the country. More support from the private sector are expected as the success of T3 will be key in hastening the gradual and safely reopening of business activities.
There is no doubt that ensuring public health safety is the immediate priority; a close second is to ensure that enough assistance is given to the vulnerable households in the ECQ areas. Due appreciation must be given to the fast action of companies who are taking care of their employees and extending substantial assistance to our poor communities.
With the looming re-extension of ECQ in what used to be the most economically productive region of the country, government resources will continue to bleed with each day of the lockdown. Mandated emergency powers has re-allocated budgets to prioritize on social protection measures. Infrastructure projects under the Build Build Build program will understandably be affected but there is a practical option for government. Public Private Partnerships now becomes one of the most viable strategies to reboot the economy.
This crisis has inspired a new level of corporate citizenship that has initiated urgent interventions to help its stakeholders. The operations of an enterprise must be a positive force in building a better world and to constantly innovate towards the improvement of human lives. These are the partners that government will need to get the economy back on track and recover the lost momentum of what was an unprecedented 21-year economic growth. They are here, actively helping in big ways, very capable, and have the solid track record worthy of the trust and confidence of any government.
