Pangasinan’s positivity rate only 3%, not 18% – PHO
PANGASINAN posted only 3% positivity rate, disputing the report of UP OCTA Research Group that the province has a high positivity rate of 18%.
This was confirmed by the Provincial Information Office on January 14, quoting Dr. Anna de Guzman, provincial health officer, that the intensified mass testing conducted by the provincial government from March to the present yielded only 3% positivity rate.
Dr. De Guzman said out of 96,433 tested samples for COVID-19 as of January 12, 2021, only 3,270 came out positive, in effect belying the data released by UP OCTA Research that Pangasinan has a high positivity rate of 18 %.
The UP OCTA Research data showing 18% positivity rate in Pangasinan were deduced from January 4 to 10 data when the cases were expected to spike because of the past holidays.
According to De Guzman, the results of mass testing included samples conducted from May to December and 2,111 drop offs.
Others tested were 10,000 from the Philippine Red Cross, Parkway and other laboratories, 53,402 by the Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center and 13,896 by private hospitals.
The mass testing utilized the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test which is the gold standard in mass testing.
De Guzman said the persons under investigation (PUIs) with mild symptoms were among those prioritized in the mass testing. The others included front line workers and Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) or returning residents.
According to De Guzman, the PHO has developed a contact tracing tool, a checklist of the conditions of individuals exposed to COVID-19, to guide the contact tracer.
The acronym FIT3-RP (Find, Isolate, Test, Trace, Treat, Reintegration and Prevention) is a comprehensive approach containing strategies that aids the provincial government in controlling the virus.
She said the strategy helped Pangasinan rank among second to the lowest among the 14 most populous provinces in the country in number of cases. (Leonardo Micua)
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
