Senators Risa Hontiveros and Francis Pangilinan have confirmed on Thursday that they decided not to undergo testing for the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), while Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said he declined to be tested for a second time.

Zubiri, who was earlier found positive for COVID-19, said the remaining testing kits should be used by those who need them most, among them “front-line medical personnel and symptomatic patients, especially the elderly.”

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The Department of Health had said that the country’s supply of the expensive testing kit was severely limited although several countries have pledged to donate the item.

Both Hontiveros and Pangilinan said they were following health protocols and have gone on self-quarantine. Several senators had themselves tested for the virus after one of the resource persons in a recent Senate hearing turned out to be positive for COVID-19. —Leila B. Salaverria

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For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.

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