Cebu Pacific and General Santos to begin test before boarding offers dree antigen testing for GenSan passengers during pilot run
The Philippines' leading carrier, Cebu Pacific (PSE: CEB), introduces Test Before Boarding (TBB), so passengers can undergo antigen testing conveniently at the airport just before their flight. This reduces the risk of infection between testing and boarding, finding infected passengers in a more timely manner. Only passengers with negative antigen test results will be allowed to board the CEB aircraft.
Together with the local government of General Santos, and in coordination with the Philippine Airport Diagnostic Laboratory (PADL), CEB is set to pilot TBB on
December 03, 2020 for a two-week trial period. All CEB passengers flying from Manila to General Santos beginning December 03 to 14, 2020 will be required to undergo TBB, free-of-charge during the pilot run. This is in compliance with the Executive Order of General Santos; passengers no longer need to take any other test prior to their flight.
Paving the way in boosting travel confidence
“We welcome this development through Cebu Pacific, because it opens up more people to the idea of traveling again. We believe this will be a breakthrough initiative, as it will allow our residents to feel more secure and not be wary of arriving passengers from Manila,” said Mayor Ronnel Rivera of General Santos City.
CEB VP for Marketing and Customer Experience Candice Iyog said, “Safety has always been our topmost priority and in this current environment, health is part of safety. We look forward to the results of this pilot so we can pave way for a more confident restart of non-essential travel and a standardization of requirements across all Philippine destinations. We would also like to laud General
Santos City for piloting TBB with us.”
Manila-General Santos pre-flight checklist and exper i ence
Passengers must fill out an electronic passenger information form (EPIF) through https:// www.padlab.ph/ DLS/ ePIF and pre-register via http:/ / tapat.gensantos.gov.h/ tapatsystem/ registration/#detailsat least 24 hours before their flight. They must also secure a travel authority to be allowed entry into the city, and check-in online before going to the airport, as part of Contactless Flight procedures.
of San Miguel Corporation; Enrique Razon, chairman of International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI); and Manuel Pangilinan, chairman of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation.
Others that pitched in and attended the signing ceremony were the Lopez Group, Philippine National Bank, Philippine Franchise Association, LBC Express, Udenna Corporation, Aboitiz Corporation, AC Health, Penshoppe, Philippine TransMarine Carriers Group, GT Capital Holdings, Wilcon Depot, Magsaysay People Resource Corporation, Yazaki Torres Manufacturing, Filinvest Corporation and EastWest Bank, Jollibee Group, Double Dragon Properties and MerryMart, Mercury Drug Corporation, Seaoil Philippines, Concepcion Industrial Corporation, Bounty Agro Ventures Inc., Century Properties Group, and the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and I nd ust r y.
The vaccines are expected to be delivered in May or June 2021. Each dose costs $5, the lowest price for a potential vaccine against Covid-19.
Clinical trials
AstraZeneca has filed an application to conduct clinical trials for its vaccine candidate in the Philippines.
Jaime Montoya, executive director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, said the Philippines is the only country in Southeast Asia being eyed by AstraZeneca for its clinical trials.
He said they were waiting for AstraZeneca to submit their data on its clinical trials. “You know, we have no way of verifying it until they submit their official documents which we will have to verify based on the data they will present. As I understand it, they are presently evaluating and analyzing where the errors where and why these happened.
He said, however, that he does not foresee any effect on the vaccine’s efficacy. “It’s just a question of numbers and the basis for such numbers,” he added. AstraZeneca earlier reported that the vaccine AZD1222 it is developing together with the University of Oxford is “highly effective” in preventing Covid-19 based on an interim analysis of clinical trials in the UK and Brazil.
Researchers found that efficacy is higher when the vaccine is administered in oneand-a-half doses instead of the usual two doses.
Reports alleged that this was established after a batch of volunteers were accidentally given only a half dose initially.
AstraZeneca said the vaccine showed an efficacy of 90 percent when it was given as a half dose, followed by a full dose at least one month apart.
Efficacy was 62 percent when given as two full doses at least one month apart. The combined analysis from both dosing regimens resulted in an average efficacy of 70 percent, the company added.
No hospitalizations or severe cases of the disease were reported in the 131 participants in the clinical trials. (Marites Villamor-Ilano with HDT/SunStar Philippines)