Manila Bulletin
Swab test results of returning Filipinos via NAIA to take longer as pre-processing back to manual —PCG
Returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will experience delays in receiving their COVID-19 test results due to the Philippine Coast Guard's (PCG) shift back to a manual pre-processing of swab samples.
This change was prompted by the Philippine Red Cross's (PRC) decision to cease COVID-19 testing chargeable to PhilHealth.
Consequently, the PCG is now utilizing government laboratories for testing.
Each government testing laboratory can only accommodate a maximum of 100 tests per day for the PCG, requiring PCG personnel to visit multiple labs to process thousands of samples.
As a result, RT-PCR test results may now take one to two days to be released via email, a contrast to the less than 24-hour turnaround time with the previous automated system.
This new procedure, which began on Thursday, impacts OFWs tested at the One-Stop Shops in NAIA Terminals 1, 2, and 3.
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The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has enhanced its manual encoding process for Covid-19 RT-PCR tests to improve the experience of returning overseas Filipinos (OFWs).
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Government-run laboratories will now process the swab tests of returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) upon arrival in the country.
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Around 6,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are currently stranded in quarantine facilities in Metro Manila while awaiting their COVID-19 test results.
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