Many PRC-administered tests on PSG false positives: PSG chief

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 29, 2021): Many PRC-administered tests on PSG false positives: PSG chief (By Azer Parrocha)

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Presidential Security Group (PSG) Chief, Col. Randolph Cabangbang, on Wednesday said they could not help but wonder why the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) tests conducted by the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) among PSG personnel turned out false positives.

This, after President Rodrigo Duterte said in a September 20 public address that there were many cases of false-positive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests conducted by PRC laboratories.

He said that 187 out of 213 of the PSG personnel tested positive in the PRC-Manila laboratory but tested negative in their confirmatory test.

Duterte then urged the Department of Health (DOH) to look into the matter because this could put more people at risk.

Cabangbang said he is not in the position to question the PRC’s Covid-19 testing, but explained that it would be difficult to believe how a huge number of their personnel tested positive when they were not showing any symptoms.

“We are not in the position to question bakit ganun kasi hindi naman natin alam yung technical aspect ng kanilang pagkukuha. But because sinasabi nga nila marami daw and para sa akin, it will be more difficult for us to just accept na marami nga. So nagpa-reswab nalang kami (how it happened because we do not know the technical aspect of their testing. But because they said there were many positives and for me, it will be more difficult for us to just accept that there a lot. So, we decided to under another swab test) only to find out negative,” he said in an interview with reporters.

He said having to require that many PSG personnel undergo quarantine was also out of the question.

“Kasi pagka nagpositive ka itatali ka na kaagad e. Pero in our case, it is very difficult at saka hindi siya pupuwede mangyari sa amin na ganun because pag mag positive ka ng 180, ang ika-quarantine mo is times three. So that will mean na ubos na yung tao mo. Wala ka nang gagamitin pang security (Because if you test positive, you’ll be tied up. But in our case it is very difficult and it cannot happen because if 180 personnel are positive, you’re doing to quarantine times three. So that will mean you’ll run out of people. You can’t use anyone for security). We cannot just accept that,” he added.

PRC Chairperson and Senator Richard Gordon said the humanitarian organization is open for an investigation as they have always submitted test results to DOH and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).

He said the PRC even developed a computer program that would make the transmission of data faster.

Meanwhile, Cabangbang said all PSG personnel, especially those who have to approach the President, undergo antigen testing daily and RT-PCR testing every 48 hours.

To further ensure the President’s safety, he said they are also observing minimum public health standards such as wearing face masks, hand washing, and physical distancing.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1155067