MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Leni Robredo has stressed the importance of the coronavirus mass testing in the Philippines, citing the case of South Korea.

Robredo explained during her radio program on Sunday that South Korea — which has 10,635 COVID-19 patients and 234 casualties — is now able to reopen some stores and other establishments after mass testing for the coronavirus gave it the basis on which stores could reopen.

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“Kahapon yata iyong first day na nagbukasan na iyong mga tindahan. Hindi pa yata lahat, pero nagbukasan na iyong mga tindahan. Pero iyong analysis nila, kaya na nila itong gawin kasi mayroon na silang mass testing,” she said.

(Yesterday I think was the first day that stores in South Korea opened. Not all opened, but gradually they are starting, because according to their analysis, they can do this because they have mass testing.)

According to the Vice President, Philippine health authorities could learn from South Korea’s experience — to maximize the lockdown and conduct mass testing.

As of now, the cities of Manila, Valenzuela, and Marikina in Metro Manila, have started testing their residents for coronavirus infection.

On Saturday, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, who is also the spokesperson of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease, said that the government will be setting up booths for the expanded mass testing.

READ: Mass testing in Metro Manila under way

READ: Government to set up specimen booths to expand COVID-19 mass testing

“So iyong sa atin, habang hinahanda natin na magbukas ulit iyong ating mga negosyo, iyong trabaho, dapat mayroon nang mass testing para alam natin kung sino iyong dapat hindi puwedeng lumabas. Ang problema sa sakit na ito, kasi ang daming asymptomatic,” Robredo noted.

(So for us, what we think is that while we are preparing for the re-opening of establishments, we should have a mass testing program so that we know who can go out, and who cannot leave their houses. The problem with this disease is that there are many carriers who are asymptomatic)

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“Puwedeng carrier ka, puwedeng nakakahawa ka, pero wala kang nararamdaman na symptoms […] So talagang napakahalaga noong mass testing para alam natin kung sino iyong dapat i-quarantine, sino iyong dapat gamutin, sino iyong dapat hindi gumagala para hindi nakakahawa,” she added.

(You could be a carrier, you could transmit the disease without experiencing any symptoms. So it is really important to do mass testing so that we will know who should be quarantined, who should be treated, and who should not be outside to prevent transmission)

Recently, Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian lamented that the decision by the Department of Health (DOH) to change the classification of COVID-19 cases was detrimental because patients who are under monitoring (PUMs) — who are excluded from the new classification — are no longer to be tested.

It was however later discovered that some PUMs who have not shown COVID-19 symptoms are infected with the coronavirus.

READ: Rex Gatchalian says DOH should revisit patient grouping as asymptomatic PUMs test positive for coronavirus

The Philippines currently has one of the highest rates of COVID-19 infection and mortality in Southeast Asia. The Department of Health (DOH) said that at present, the country has 6,087 patients positive for COVID-19. Of this number, 397 have died of the disease, while at least 516 have recovered.

Worldwide, over 2.33 million individuals have been infected, while 155,689 have died of the disease, with 599,692 recoveries.

READ: DOH: PH now has over 6,000 people positive for COVID-19 virus

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