Makati to pilot pool testing
MAKATI CITY will pilot Go Negosyo’s pooled PCR testing this month, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo Founder Jose Maria “Joey” Concepcion 3rd has announced.
Iloilo Rep Janette Garin, chief private implementer of ARK-PCR (antibody rapid test kit-polymerase chain reaction); Tessie Sy-Coson, chairman of BDO Unibank Inc.; Dr. Julius Lecciones of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center; and Dr. Raymond Lo were also present during the virtual signing of the memorandum of agreement ( MOA) between Go Negosyo and Makati City Hall.
“The private sector will fund a pooled PCR testing pilot for 16 cities and one municipality in NCR (National Capital Region) this month. That represents about P160,000 pooled PCR tests that will be done for this part of the research.
This will be a game-changer for our
country. It could speed up testing, increase the capacity and make it cheaper. Testing will create greater visibility,” Concepcion said.
He highlighted the significance of the partnership between the private sector and local government units (LGUs) in winning the war against Covid-19 and thanked both BDO and Makati for their participation.
“We are making the best out of this two-weeks. The challenge is how to co-exist with Covid-19. The objective is to save lives, jobs, and livelihoods. I would like to thank Tessie for her untiring support. They have been supportive of every effort that is needed to help the health situation which is needed to help the economy.”
“I’d like to thank PCE (Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship) Go Negosyo, PSP (Philippine Society of Pathologists), BDO Foundation and PCMC (Philippine Children’s Medical Center). It is an honor that you chose Makati to do pooled testing. We are very honored to pilot pooled testing. Until we are able to get a vaccine, we will have to live with the virus,” Makati Mayor Mar-Len Abigail Binay said.
“Pooled testing will be helpful not just to our constituents but also to our business community who are unable to afford the P3,500 PCR test. Hopefully, this will encourage our companies to open up, our employees will be assured that they are not spreading the virus as well.”
The data and results gathered during the tests will be used as a guide in policymaking and program formulation in line with the LGU’s Covid-19 response.
One of the staunch supporters of Go Negosyo programs and big brother BDO Foundation led by Sy-Coson expressed her belief in the pooled testing program.
“Pooled testing does not only deal with a drastically reduced price, but it also deals with protecting our health care workers, hastening the turnaround time and making our laboratories the windows that can open and guide us where these viruses are. Go Negosyo and the partnership with BDO has made possible for us the circle with the entry of the city of Makati,” Garin said.
She added that the desire of Makati, BDO Foundation and Go Negosyo is not only to make testing affordable. “Basically, it boils down to how we can put back confidence in the workplaces.”
Pooled PCR testing is expected to optimize the availability of test kits, reduce the workload of laboratory staff, eliminate large groups of negative cases, make PCR testing more affordable and available, provide LGUs and businesses with a better and clearer direction, and restore confidence in returning to work while sustaining the gains of the initial lockdown.
Garin said a proposed costing mechanism has been developed that will bring down the cost of testing to P450 per person in pools of 5s; P350 per person in pools of 10s, and P250 per person in pools of 20s, inclusive of the P150 fee for the virus transport medium, or VTM, swabs.
If approved by the Department of Health, pooled testing can be piloted in 21 sites made up of 11 Go Negosyo supported laboratories and five each from San Miguel Foundation Inc. and Ayala Foundation Inc.
“I’m glad that we will be able to sign this MOA today. This will pave the way and accelerate all the things that we were talking about. The real challenge is how to put that into action. Today we will be doing that. Tomorrow and the next days to come, we commit to ourselves to show to everyone that this is the way to go. Our commitment and our dedication to this enterprise is something …. [that] you can be proud of,” Dr. Lecciones said.
Dr. Lo, who leads the PCMC Covid-19 Laboratory, said: “Our research is proceeding as we speak. Now, we’re beginning to test them with the pooling method. Initially, we will be testing them individually to establish a baseline and then we will do pooling so we can see… which pools of 5, 10 or 20 [is most effective]. That will be a function of the prevalence of the virus. We are going to be testing asymptomatic. We don’t expect that many [asymptomatic] in the community, but we do hope to catch them before they can spread the virus.”
Lo added that the first phase of the research shows promise for pools of 5 and 10 and that the second phase is ongoing. The second phase will focus on cascading further protocols that other laboratories, especially those under the Go Negosyo mantle, can adapt.
ARK Project Lead Josephine Romero; PSP President Dr. Roberto Padua Jr.; President, and Chief Executive Officer of BDO Unibank and trustee of BDO Foundation Nestor Tan; and BDO Foundation President Mario Deriquito were among the attendees.