Gov’t can’t test all Filipinos, Health chief says

July 21, 2020

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the government could not test all Filipinos for the coronavirus disease.

In a taped televised meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang and was aired on Tuesday, Duque said they are targeting 10 million Filipinos to be tested by 2021.

"So, we cannot test each individual. No country can do it, even the wealthiest like the United States of America," he said.

Duque noted that the bUS, which has the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, has conducted 40 million tests or almost close to nine percent of the total population of about 370 million Americans.

"In our case, we can surpass that, we can reach 10 percent. Of the total population of the Philippines at 109 million, we might be able to reach about 10 million Filipinos by 2021," he said.

Duque noted that currently the country has a testing capacity of 74,000. But the daily testing output has reached 25,000. Celerina Monte/DMS