US Donates COVID-19 Test Kits to PH

The Philippine Genome Center (PCG) on Friday received 3,000 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction extraction kits from the United States (US) that will help in the genome testing of the country.

The donation was handed out via the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which along with the US Department of Defense and State Department, has invested a whopping PHP1.4 billion in support of that Philippine COVID-19 pandemic response.

The test kits were turned over in a virtual ceremony and was welcomed by Department of Health Undersecretaries Maria Rosario Vergeire and Myrna Cabotaje, PGC Executive Director Dr. Cynthia Saloma, together with other representatives from both the government and private sectors.

USAID Philippines Office of Health Director Michelle Lang-Alli hopes that the test kits will prove to be helpful in the country’s fight against COVID-19.

“We hope that these kits will continue to strengthen testing and genomic surveillance capability of the Philippine Genome Center as we work together to stop the spread of COVID-19,” Lang-Alli said.

“These kits will support the tracking of variants, which is key to curbing the spread and being in front of the virus as the pandemic continues to evolve,” she added.

Aside from the continued support from the US in the Philippines’ genomic surveillance and mass testing initiatives, the US is also one of the leading countries that has been helping the country in terms of COVID-19 vaccine donations through direct donations and through donations via the COVAX facility–in which the US is also a trop contributor.

The Philippines to date has received over 13.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX facility. Moreover, the country has also received over 6.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines straight from Washington. (GFB)