The price range and policy to ensure the COVID-19 tests and test kits are affordable and accessible will be out by next week, the Department of Health (DOH) said Saturday.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV, said DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III had given the agency a deadline to issue the policy.
“We should be able to issue it out by the early part of next week,” Vergeire said.
Through Executive Order 118, President Rodrigo Duterte directed the DOH, in coordination with the Department of Trade and Industry to determine and implement a price range for COVID-19 tests and test kits subject to existing laws, rules, and regulations.
Vergeire said the price range shall ensure that COVID-19 testing and test kits were “just, equitable and sensitive to all stakeholders.”
According to Vergeire, the DOH and DTI, through a joint administrative order, already have the final draft.
Vergeire said that government agencies have already determined the price range, but stakeholders should be consulted first.
Also, a factor in determining the cost of COVID-19 tests and testing kits are the capacity of laboratories.
When the policy is out, laboratories and manufacturers will be given ample time to dispose of their existing stocks.
The DOH and DTI will also conduct continuous monitoring and review of the prices and market supply of test kits and other basic medical items and supplies, and implement price controls if necessary, according to the EO.
On the other hand, the President also ordered the DOH to come up with measures to ensure that all accredited COVID-19 laboratories observe transparency in the pricing of tests and in order for the public to be informed about the component costs of medical services and procedures relating to COVID-19.
Medical experts considered the RT-PCR test the gold standard for confirmatory testing because it detects the virus that causes COVID-19.
Both the DOH and the Department of Tourism had pushed for a price cap for COVID-19 tests.
PhilHealth-PRC row
The Philippines’ testing capacity for COVID-19 cases was briefly affected when the Philippine Red Cross suspended testing for repatriated overseas Filipino workers due to the government’s debt, Vergeire said.
Vergeire, during a press briefing, said PRC’s testing contributed 20 percent to the country’s capacity.
“When we look at the data, PRC has contributed almost 20 percent of the testing capacity in the country because they have a lot of laboratories. So when they stopped processing specimens of OFWs, this affected our testing capacity,” Vergeire said.
A negative COVID-19 test result is required for repatriated Filipino migrant workers to be allowed to return to their hometowns after arrival in Manila.
The PRC suspended in mid-October the testing of repatriated Filipinos for COVID-19 after the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) incurred debt of roughly P1 billion for COVID-19 tests.
PhilHealth made a partial payment of P500 million on October 27, and another P100 million Thursday. The Red Cross has since resumed taking in specimens.
COVID updates
The Philippines logged on Saturday 2,157 new COVID-19 cases in the country, bringing the total to 393,961, as nine laboratories failed to submit reports on time, DOH reported.
The DOH also said there were 24 new fatalities, bringing the death toll to 7,485 or 1.90 percent of the total number of cases.
Top cities and provinces with the highest daily new cases are Quezon City, 115; Davao City, 107; Rizal Province, 105; Bulacan, 102; and Cavite Province, 82.
There are 36,260 active cases or 9.2 percent of the total number of cases.
Of the active cases, 83.7 percent are mild; 10 percent are asymptomatic; 4 percent are critical, and 2.3 percent are severe.
The DOH also reported that there are 252 new recoveries, bringing the total to 350,216, or 88.9 percent of the total number of cases.
Worldwide figures
DOH also said five duplicates were removed from the total case count. Of these, four were recovered cases.
Moreover, 6 cases previously tagged as recovered were reclassified as deaths.
DOH also reported that nationwide, of the approximately 1,900 total ICU bed capacity, 56 percent are available; of the approximately 13,500 total isolation bed capacity, 60 percent are available; of the approximately 5,900 total ward bed capacity, 68 percent are available; and of the 2,000 total ventilators, 78 percent are available.
A total of nine labs were not able to submit their data to the COVID-19 Data Repository System on November 6, 2020.
At present, more than 49.04 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 globally while 1,238,751 have succumbed to the illness.
Batanes situationer
The local government of Batanes is looking at the possibility of reopening its doors to tourists soon in the midst of the pandemic.
In a press briefing Saturday, Batanes Gov. Marilou Cayco said the local pandemic task force had agreed to reopen the province to tourists provided they complied with minimum health standards, such as a 14-day quarantine.
But officials will have to assess the situation for tourists coming from areas such as Metro Manila — the epicenter of the virus — and other cities to determine which visitors will be allowed, she said.
“We will assess by December. We will look at the situation [in other cities] so when things are better, we can gradually open [to tourism] because a lot were affected during the pandemic especially in the tourism industry.)
Batanes is among the country’s most popular tourist destinations known for its picturesque sights and peaceful atmosphere that offer a respite for urban dwellers, Cayco said
The country’s northernmost province has only recorded two cases since the pandemic started in March. Now that both patients have recovered, Cayco said the province was “COVID-free” again.