The Provincial Health Office (PHO) of Negros Oriental is providing coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) rapid antigen test (RAT) kits for free amid a perceived rise in cases in recent weeks, an official said Tuesday.
PHO chief Dr. Liland Estacion said reports from various hospitals and health centers in the province point to suspected Covid-19 cases based on patients’ symptoms.
However, she said these could no longer be quantified in the absence of regular monitoring and reporting.
“Covid cases are no longer ‘reportable,’ which means that it has now been downgraded to an ‘ordinary’ flu-like illness with treatable symptoms, and many people, unfortunately, no longer report to health authorities if they have contracted the disease,” Estacion said.
She added that they are no longer required by the Department of Health to report Covid-19 cases.
For those needing confirmatory tests, Estacion said RAT kits are given for free until supplies last, while waiting for the PHO’s Reverse Transcription – Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) equipment to be fixed.
The RT-PCR machine is not just used to test for Covid-19 but for other diseases as well, such as HIV-AIDS, she said.
With the onset of the rainy season, she said, upper respiratory illnesses are bound to spread faster.
Estacion advised people with symptoms to isolate themselves and wear face masks when necessary. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)
