Birons to donate COVID-19 test kits, protective equipment

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

Former congressman Dr. Ferj Biron and incumbent Iloilo 4th district Rep. Braeden John Biron are donating test kits and personal protection equipment (PPE) to the city and province of Iloilo to help stop the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The donations include 10,000 surgical masks, 10,000 head covers, and 2,000 N95 masks to be distributed to all hospitals in the city and province.

In a phone interview, Dr. Biron said he will donate an additional 10,000 surgical masks, 5,000 head covers and 50 liters of alcohol for the rural health units in the province since these are the frontliners in the war against COVID-19.

“The rural health units have nothing to use. We will provide them with the equipment which they can use in this very critical moment,” he added.

The Birons will also donate SEEGENE COVID 19 PCR-based testing kits, the first imported KIT approved by the Philippine Food and Drugs Administration.

Seegene testing kits use an automated system with its auto analysis software and can provide test results in four hours and can perform thousands of tests a day.

Dr. Biron said they hope to bring the test kits by Wednesday next week as they are still negotiating and arranging the logistical requirements.

The initial 500 batch of test kits will be turned over to the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Mandurriao, Iloilo City which is equipped with a compatible polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machine.

Dr. Biron said the Seegene testing kits are almost 100 percent accurate, a fact that was proven in South Korea.

“This is not a screening kit. In South Korea, they test 20,000 persons daily, bisan suspicious pa lang. That is why their numbers of confirmed cases went up so fast because of their fast and accurate testing methods using this technology. It also brought down the mortality rate numbers because more positive cases are detected, unlike in the Philippines which has higher mortality rate because fewer people are tested.”

As of Thursday, the total confirmed cases in the Philippines was 217 with 17 fatalities or a mortality rate of 7.8 percent, way higher than the global death rate of about 3.4% (Source: WHO).

Dr. Biron said early detection of positive cases is very important in curbing the infection.

“If we test and detect more cases, we can do quick isolation and management of the patients. We can also conduct effective contact tracing to prevent the further spread of the virus,” he added.

Dr. Biron said he hopes that the Department of Health could expedite the accreditation of WVMC as a testing center.

“Testing is very important. It is our main tool in preventing the exponential spread of the virus. I am proposing to donate PCR machines and kits to other hospitals apart from WVMC like the Don Jose S. Monfort Medical Center Extension Hospital and even the provincial hospital in Pototan, Iloilo. We need more testing centers so we will not burden WVMC.”

Dr. Biron said he will also negotiate for more test kits from Korea to be distributed to Iloilo.

“We are doing everything we can to bring in much needed help to Iloilo. We are all in this together in these trying times,” he added.

As soon as stocks arrive, Dr. Ferj Biron will also donate more protective equipment and disinfectants as well as anti-hypertensive and other medicines.