MANILA, Philippines — The proponents of the privately-funded Project ARK (Antibody Rapid test Kits) is eyeing to expand its rapid testing efforts among private sector employees.
According to Presidential Adviser on Entrepreneurship, Jo Concepcion, the group has delivered around 500, 000 rapid test kits to more than 200 private companies nationwide.
Concepcion said this initiative of the private sector is to augment the government’s efforts to test more individuals for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection given that more establishments and businesses are opening with the relaxing of community quarantine regulations.
Meanwhile, Project ARK is initiating a four-month study on the trend of COVID-19 transmission to determine the effectiveness of the rapid testing efforts being conducted across the country.
The study will involve 16 cities and municipalities across Metro Manila and Laguna under the supervision of a private research company.
“Every month makikita natin kung nag-i-improve at tumataas ba ang level of infection or bumababa ang level of infection, [Every month, we would be able to observe the level of infection if it is increasing or decreasing]” Concepcion said during the Laging Handa briefing on Tuesday (May 20).
“Kung successful ito baka lalaguin natin ito sa buong Luzon and eventually kung may mga donors pa baka kailangan natin yung critical areas within the Philippines, [If this becomes successful, we will expand to cover the entire Luzon region and eventually if more donors will come, then we will be able to reach even the critical areas in the Philippines],” he added.
Concepcion emphasized the importance of massive testing that must be done as industries in the country resume operations.
He insists on the reliability of the rapid test kits as they are also being used among members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG).
He added that rapid testing somehow helps because the government at present cannot yet afford to administer massive testing using the real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) test.
A single rapid test kit costs around P450 as compared to one rRT-PCR kit which costs from P4,000 to P8,000 each.
“Kung magsasarado uli ang ekonomiya ng Pilipinas, maraming mawawalan ng trabaho. Ngayon halos lahat ng micro and small (enterprises) umiiyak na dahil ang kapital nila nawawala narin, [If the Philippine economy will close again, more people will lose their jobs. At present, micro and small enterpresis are complaining already because even their capital are being used up,] ” Concepcion explained.
“Ito lang ang pwede naming gawin, itong rapid test, [This is the only thing we can do, the rapid testing],” he added.
But a workers’ group argued that such use of rapid test kits is just a waste of resources.
“If the rapid test is done to clear workers to work, its a waste of money and other resources,” said Alan Tanjusay, spokesperson of the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP).
“Experts are telling us that rapid test is inaccurate because it does not detect the SARS-CoV-2– the virus that causes COVID-19,” he said.
Aside from private companies, Project ARK is also lending support in the rapid testing being conducted among local government employees such as in Quezon City and Makati City. MNP (with details from Rey Pelayo)
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