In everyone’s plea to make mass testing happen, the authorities are slowly pushing efforts to make it actually possible, and here’s how we can help this move maintain consistency.
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Starting from 900 to 1200 tests per day, the Department of Health sees an increase of 3000 tests today, April 14 and hopefully add up as days pass. While this is already a good step to continue fighting COVID-19, they are targeting to increase it to 8000 to 10,000 by the the end of April. In the meantime, the limited testing kits will prioritize pregnant women, immuno-compromised individuals, and front-line healthcare workers who receives highest exposure to the virus.
It’s not only test kits that we need for all of these to be over, but specimen collection tools that we lack at the moment. Couple Vince Uy and Nino Gaddi, and their friends Calvin Chua and Leo Conde has started an initiative to help raise funds in providing for more specimen collection tools.
This fundraiser not only emphasizes, but also educates which medical supplies have to be purchased: Viral Transport Medium and Nasopharyngeal Swab, that costs P350 and P70 each respectively. All proceeds will go directly to Hope Community Caring Facility, alternative medical facilities in Quezon City General Hospital, Rosario Maclang Bautista General Hospital, and Novaliches District Hospital.
Without a doubt, our front-liners needs most of our help. But let’s not leave out our fellow Filipinos including our PUV drivers, street vendors and construction workers whose income was severely affected by the enhanced community quarantine. Remember how these workers solely depend on their remuneration earned on a daily basis. Just like any of us, they are left with no choice but to stay at home as the public transportation is on hold, manual labor is suspended
If you want to help these workers get through the extended ECQ while their means of livelihood is currently on pause, check out the corresponding Facebook groups—Super Tsuper, Pasok Mga Suki 2020, and Tulong Sa Mga Construction Worker to reach out to them. All of us could either be seriously or leniently affected by the pandemic. Hence, assisting our kababayans genuinely to even alienate goodwill can actually heal the world much faster than we could have imagined. With our ongoing donations, we can make free mass testing happen and every household will have something to prepare on their tables until their job resumes operation.
