The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines has topped 197,000 as the Health department reported 2,965 additional confirmed infections on Tuesday.
“As of 4 p.m. today, Aug. 25, 2020, the Department of Health reports the total number of COVID-19 cases at 197,164,” said the department’s COVID-19 Case Bulletin #164.
Of the total, 61,730 are considered active infections.
The Philippines had tested 2,207,267 individuals for COVID-19 as of Aug. 24.
There are 83 licensed RT-PCR laboratories and 27 licensed GeneXpert laboratories in the country.
ADB approves $125-million loan
The Manila-based Asian Development Bank on Tuesday said it had approved a $125-million loan to help the Philippine government improve its capacity to prevent and control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The loan is expected to enable the Health department to improve health services across the country.
“This project will help improve the preparedness and resilience of the country’s health systems at the national and local levels in handling current and future public health threats,” ADB Vice President Ahmed Saeed said in a statement.
“It will also contribute to the Philippines’ efforts toward implementing universal health coverage.”
Warning over free swab testing
The Health department on Monday warned people identified as exposed to COVID-19 cases or those showing symptoms may face penalties if they do not take the free swab testing offered by the local governments.
“If the local government visits and asks you to be swabbed, you are identified as exposed or with symptoms,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during a virtual briefing.
She says it is part of the department’s CODE or Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic strategy, which involves teams visiting villages and going house-to-house to identify those who were exposed to COVID-19 patients or have symptoms.
She says these individuals are immediately isolated and then tested.
Safeguards in clinical trials
The Health department on Monday said safeguards will be in place following the government’s decision to do away with the Phase 4 clinical trials requirement for COVID-19 drugs and vaccines.
“This has been done before. This is not new,” Vergeire said during a virtual briefing.
“This accelerated process has been done already in various parts of the world for Ebola and the meningitis vaccine.”