Covid-19 IMT tells antigen clinics to follow protocols

By Jason B. Neola

The Naga City Covid19 Incident Management Team (IMT) has called on private antigen/swab testing centers to religiously follow the health protocols recommended by the Department of Health.

The IMT met with 11 owners and representatives of Covid-19 testing centers, which offer antigen and RT-PCR tests, as part of the city government’s actions to contain the transmission of the virus.

Mayor Nelson Legacion and the IMT, which is headed by Renne Gumba as incident commander, told the representatives of the testing centers to ensure that DOH’s algorithms on quarantine/isolation, testing, and discharge of persons tested positive for Covid-19 must be thoroughly observed.

“We enjoined all private antigen testing centers in the city to conduct proper handling of individuals who were found positive for Covid-19. They need to report within 24 hours the test results to the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of the City Health office CESU and to the city’s Contact Tracing and Monitoring Center,” Legacion said.

MEETING WITH TESTERS Mayor Nelson Legacion (back to camera, center) raises some points during the recent meeting with operators and representatives of private laboratories and clinics conducting antigen testing in the city. -RAMIL HERRERA/CEPPIO

Gumba said that there are interventions that have to be adopted “that is why we are enjoining the centers to always update us of their operations.”

The centers, which are being required to maintain close coordination with the City Health Office, Naga City Health Emergency Response Task Force (HERTF), and the IMT, were also told to transport their Covid-19 positive patients to the city’s designated isolation facilities immediately after the test. “Then an expeditious and thorough conduct of monitoring and contact tracing follow suit,” Gumba said.

A latest directive from the DOH said that in area where there is a high prevalence of Covid-19 cases, a positive antigen result, which has 90% accuracy, will stand without the need of confirmatory test.

The HERTF, IMT and the city government’s compliance team are set to conduct unannounced inspections on the centers to find out if they continue to abide by the health standards being recommended by the Inter Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.