Doubting China’s RT-PCR test kits

By Herbert L. Vego

IT was not Covid-19 that forced Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas to be hospitalized. He attributed it to “exhaustion,” or perhaps also frustration over the rise of Covid-19 cases in his turf. As of yesterday, the city had 2,532 active cases, raising to 9,279 the total number of accumulated cases in 15 months.

Is that so bad that he wants to extend the city’s modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) status by another 15 days?

In a radio interview, however, he expressed willingness to re-open business activities by 30 to 50 percent of customer capacity. Dapat lang. With thousands of Ilonggos now cascading down to poverty level due to loss of livelihood, how could Treñas fulfill his promise to “level up” the city’s economy?

If truth be told, the number of COVID deaths in the city, 223 in 15 months, still pales in comparison to thousands of deaths from other diseases. It debunks the myth that COVID is incurable.

Unfortunately, as this writer has repeatedly wailed against, our Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved yet any anti-COVID drug, forcing the patients to connive with doctors who have the courage to prescribe remdesivir, favipiravir or other drugs that are already widely used in the United States – sadly at sky-high prices payable in advance. No pay, no med.

This corner agrees with the contention of Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia not to be too trustful of China-made RT-PCR swab tests that could yield incorrect results. She should know; her province used to be the country’s epicenter of Covid-19.

Have we forgotten that when the first test kits from China underwent testing by the Department of Health (DOH), no less than Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a press conference on March 27, 2020, “Only 40%  showed accuracy?”

Alas, she had no choice but to retract that finding within the week, reportedly under pressure from the Chinese Embassy and her immediate boss, Secretary Francisco Duque.

No wonder she has since then reduced herself to a mere town crier announcing daily Covid statistics on TV.

Are the inaccurate test kits also blamable for the “asymptomatic” testees who comprise the majority of Covid cases? Since the virus spreads through droplets, how could the asymptomatic who have no cough, no runny nose, and malakas pa sa kalabaw, spread the disease?

Proper wear of face mask, sanitizing and social distancing ought to be good enough to ward off the virus.

If so, why does the national government insist on importing China-made RT-PCR test kits?

If the answer is to please Xi Jin Ping, God save the Philippines!

 

FILIPINOS HAVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE OR CHOOSE

“The best vaccine is the vaccine in your arm.”

This has become the government’s battle cry aimed at encouraging the people to get jabbed with whatever brand of anti-Covid vaccine is available.  It’s like saying all brands are equally potent.

President Duterte tells us that patronizing Sinovac vaccine would be our way of demonstrating “utang na loob to China,” which had donated one million doses of Sinovac.

But wait! That number is a small portion of the 6,500,000 doses that were flown in from China. The 5.5 million doses and many more to come would be paid with taxpayers’ money. Therefore, Sinovac comprises more than half of the 12,608,210 — including Pfizer, Astra Zeneca and Sputnik — that have already arrived in the country.

Let us recall that in January this year, before the first batch of Sinovac could reach Manila, President Duterte – confronted with the news that we would buy it at a whopping price of PHP 3,600 per two doses – simply explained that the secrecy of the contract price was based on “procurement agreement” with China.

Compare that to Pfizer’s PHP2,379 per two doses; and AstraZeneca’s PHP610.

Does common sense not tell us that profit motive is the primordial concern of “scientists” involved in the manufacture and distribution of rushed vaccines worldwide?

Anyway, the anomaly seems to have vanished into oblivion as each individual fends off the invader in different ways. We seem to have forgotten that it’s China that gave birth to coronavirus, whether intentionally or accidentally. Otherwise, we would have held her accountable for inflicting us with the abnormality now known as the “new normal”.

We are torn between conflicting opinions on whether the global vaccination program initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO) is correct. There are already incidents proving that the vaccinated are not immune from catching the disease.

In April this year, no less than the vaccinated chief pathologist of the Makati Medical Center, Dr. Jose Maria Avila, succumbed to Covid.

Therefore, to be or not to be vaccinated?

Let the answer depend on individual decisions. As for me being a Covid survivor, I join the ranks of Dr. Dolores Octaviano and other believers in a healthy immune system as the best defense.

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QUICK RESPONSE MADE QUICKER

THEY could be mistaken for food-delivery riders on motorcycles. But the bundled tools behind their back and the logo on their shirts reveal that they are linemen belonging to MORE Power’s quick response (QR) teams who penetrate the narrow roads of Iloilo City to assess, evaluate, and troubleshoot electrical lines.

Whenever their four-wheeled counterparts could not immediately reach their intended destinations due to traffic problems, they can be counted on as back-up to initiate “first aid”.

Their primary mission is to spot troubles, repair defects, and restore power outages within a few minutes.

They are also capable of line tracing during feeder or lateral line outages.

Even when not responding to complaints, they remain on the move to conduct regular inspections and to check the working conditions of poles and secondary lines.

Kudos to MORE Power President Roel Z. Castro for this QR innovation that has made delivery of service faster even during the pandemic period.

Sir Roel reminds us of Spiderman who said, “With great power comes great responsibility.”