Iloilo City sends more swabs to Cebu, Bacolod

Almost 2,000 specimens from Iloilo City will be sent to Bacolod or Cebu by Tuesday for testing to reduce the backlogs in testing centers in the metro, according to Mayor Jerry Treñas.

Treñas said the city has no actual or real-time data on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases due to the delayed release of swab tests.

“We don’t have the actual data. We have to know the real status and we need to get the test results right away. That is why another 1,000-2,000 specimens will be sent either to Bacolod or Cebu tomorrow,” he said in a press conference on Monday.

This will be the second batch of specimens that will be sent to Cebu after the city government already sent the first batch to be subjected to reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) last Saturday.

The Department of Health Central Visayas Molecular Lab has already received 1,954 swab samples from the city. Results of the first batch are expected to be released by Tuesday or Wednesday.

Meanwhile, national Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Deputy Chief Implementer for the Visayas Gen. Melquiades Feliciano has been assisting the city government in its COVID-19 response.

Feliciano, who arrived in the city over the weekend, met with the City COVID-19 Team to discuss issues and concerns of the metro.

Compared to Cebu which was considered the “epicenter” of COVID-19 cases in June 2020, Feliciano said Iloilo City is more advanced as it has already established systems and approaches in handling Covid-19.

However, he emphasized that the city needs a comprehensive and fast approach in fighting the disease.

“There are systems and processes, compared to Cebu where Iloilo has more advantages than Cebu. But we want it to be centralized and the implementation should be fast,” he said in a press conference.

In terms of cases, Feliciano said the number in Iloilo City is lower compared to Cebu but he warned that it could surge.

“There will be a certain time it will surge, it will spike. Now it is happening in Bacolod City that is why we have to be proactive in addressing the concerns,” he said.

Feliciano said training of contact tracers has already started to further improve the city’s response.

He also contacted molecular laboratories in the city emphasizing the need to capacitate their laboratories and operations to further backlogs.

According to Feliciano, he is optimistic on working with the Iloilo City government as he is confident that the city can hurdle the challenges of COVID-19 under the leadership of Treñas.

“We are looking forward on working with Iloilo. I am optimistic with the leadership of Mayor Treñas, we can heal as one,” he noted. (ERS)