Expert urges symptom, exposure checks

The best way is, to be honest about any possible exposures or symptoms no matter how mild it may be

A medical professional on Tuesday is seeking for wider implementation of symptoms and exposure checking instead of relying solely on testing due to its costing and inaccuracies.

In a press conference, Dr. Antonio Dans of the Philippine Society of General Internal Medicine said that this protocol is more timely and cost-effective especially for workers returning to work.

“Our suggestion is to resort to symptom-check and exposure-check, two questions for every worker,” he said.

He said the best way is, to be honest about any possible exposures or symptoms no matter how mild it may be.

“Let’s remember 80 percent of COVID cases have very mild symptoms. So if you have a little cough, colds, or a fever, you are already a suspect and you should be tested along with your known contacts. In that way, we can address the transmission,” he said.

Dans said most sectors have resorted to using rapid-antibody tests despite its inaccuracy in showing false positive and false negative results.

With this, he said some individuals have developed a sense of false security which may have contributed to the transmission of the virus.

“We think using the rapid-antibody test in the workplace was a problem that contributed to the transmission of COVID-19,” he said.

Dans pointed out that half of the COVID cases are not detected by the test as it is only focused on looking for antibodies in an individual.

“If half of the cases are undetected, they will spread in the communities. The cases of COVID-19 are easily spread through infected individuals that we are not aware of,” he said.

In the earlier months when community quarantine measures have been relaxed, the Department of Health (DoH) advised employers not to require their employees to use rapid-antibody tests as clearance in returning to work.

It was reminded anew over the current concerns raised by health workers in the medical community.

“We have already previously warned the public against the danger of overconfidence in rapid antibody test kit results and reiterate that RT-PCR testing remains to be the gold standard for diagnosing COVID-19,” they said.

In addition, the DoH also advised the public to only use these tests with the administration and supervision of a licensed physician.

“We always remind the public to consult their doctors before having themselves tested so that the results of these tests can be correctly interpreted,” the department said.

To date, the Philippines has logged more than 106,000 cases of COVID-19 with over 65,000 recoveries and a death toll of around 2,100.

PHOTOGRAPH BY YUMMIE DINGDING FOR THE DAILY TRIBUNE @tribunephl_yummie Way to go The sign says it all as authorities ramp up information drive on the proper protocols against the coronavirus pandemic even as the public take to wearing masks in the wake of the contagion.