Given the limited swabbing and delay in the release of Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force has advised individuals who are experiencing Covid-19 symptoms but are still waiting for the swab test result to seek guidance from the teleconsultation service of the Covid-19 Operations Center.
The teleconsultation is available through the following hotlines: (0927) 604 5797, for Globe (calls only); (0906) 367 4671 for Globe (text only); (0919) 071 1111 / (0961) 526 2861 for Smart (calls only); (0939) 340 5675 for Smart (texts only); and, (082) 244 â 0181 for telephone.
Covid-19 Task Force Spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser in an interview Friday, October 1, 2021, over the Davao City Disaster Radio, said the city government has offered the teleconsultation service for individuals with symptoms but who have no confirmed test result yet or are still waiting for the results of their RT-PCR test.
âUsually ang OPCEN naga-offer ana while waiting for your result pwede ta mag tele-consult kasi dili man ta kabalo og Covid na gyud ka until wala na confirm sa RT-PCR (The teleconsultation is offered by the OPCEN while waiting for the result because we do not know yet if it is Covid until it is confirmed through RT-PCR test)” she said.
Schlosser also noted that only a person who has been tested positive through RT-PCR can be traced by the contact tracer.
She said the contact tracing commences 24-48 hours from the time the person is tested positive and subsequently be called for patient evaluation and assessment if he/she has a mild, moderate, and severe case of COVID-19. Once categorized, it is the time that he/she will be dispatched to a facility, Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facility (TTMF) for mild and asymptomatic and hospital for mild and severe cases.
Currently, the free swab testing is still for the high-risk individuals or the first-generation contacts or F1s, and the persons with Influenza-Like Symptoms (ILIs). These individuals are mandated to undergo 14-day quarantine to curb the risk of spreading infection, even those who resulted negative in the swab test.
Schlosser said that with the mandatory 14-day quarantine for the high-risk individuals, there is little impact of the identified F1s and ILIs on the spread of infection.
Schlosser said, âNow we have limited testing but there is no delay on the turn-around of results, only limitation.â
The city is currently maximizing the Los Amigos Molecular Laboratory and Davao International Airport Molecular Lab for the processing of swab test results.
âOnce that Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) is fully functional we can go up to 3,000-3,500 or more,â Schlosser said. CIO
