US-made test kit na pwedeng maglabas ng resulta sa loob ng 45 minutes darating sa Biyernes

DARATING na sa Biyernes ang unang batch ng mga rapid test kits na kayang mag-detect ng coronavirus disease 2019 sa lob ng 45 minuto.

Ayon kay AnaKalusugan Rep. Michael Defensor ang test kits na ito ang ginagawa ng mga ospital sa New York kung saan naitala ang pinakamaraming kaso ng COVID-19 sa Amerika.

“The tests will be delivered in incremental weekly shipments, with the initial batch of 3,000 tests arriving in Manila this Friday, April 17. All 185,000 tests will go directly to the DOH, to be deployed as needed,” ani Defensor, vice chairman ng House committee on health.

Ang Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2, ng Sunnydale, California-based biotech firm na Cepheid Inc., ay aprubado ng U.S. Food and Drug Administration noong Marso 21 at binigyan ng clearance ng FDA Philippine noong Marso 26.

 “We are grateful to the Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) chaired by Mr. Manuel V. Pangilinan for ordering 160,000 of the tests, and the Asian Development Bank, for ordering the balance of 25,000 tests, all for the DOH,” ani Defensor.

Ang Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria ay naglaan ng $1 bilyong grant sa iba’t ibang bansa kasama na ang Pilipinas para labanan ang COVID-19.

 “There’s no question swift and reliable testing is critical in saving and protecting lives at this extremely difficult time when our healthcare facilities are slowly being overwhelmed by suspected COVID-19 cases,” ani Defensor.

Kung mas mabilis umanong makikilala ang mga taong nahawa ay mas mabilis na makokontrol ang pagkalat ng virus.

“The new tests are compatible with the automated real-time PCR GeneXpert machines, and we already have no less than 600 of those machines in place in public and private healthcare facilities across the country,” dagdag pa ng solon.