The Department of Health (DOH) in the Philippines issued a public apology to the Chinese embassy after reportedly claiming that the 100,000 test kits given by the Mainland Chinese government were defective.
The department's initial statement claimed that the Sansure RT-PCR test kits have been donated only has 40% accuracy. Later on, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) assessed the test kits themselves and claimed that they were the same with the test kits given by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Chinese embassy 'offended' about the 'defective' kits
The DOH mentioned the defective test kits that were referred to by DOHA Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire were from another brand. Officially, the coronavirus test kits were given by a private entity or foundation, and it was not a donation given by the Chinese government.
The DOH added, "Moreover, Sansure test kits [the Chinese government donation] contain all required reagents to run the test successfully. This means that no other reagents will need to be separately procured by the Philippine government to use the test kits."
In addition to that, officials at Department of Help claimed that all the tests by the RITM that were needed for validation of the coronavirus test kit has been done, and the kits were ready for general use.
As a compromise to avoid delay, both the BGI and Sansure RT-PCR will be giving more donations to get the ball rolling. The DOH also apologized for the confusion it caused with the negative statement given by certain official about the test kits.
These testing kits were donated by the Beijing government last week. They were received by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., who has been asking help and assistance in getting more than enough test kits and personal protective equipment (PPE). One of the persistent problems during the coronavirus crisis in the Philippines is that protection is scarce for Filipino medical workers in their fight against Covid-19.
On March 29, Maria Rosario Vergeire was quoted saying: "Those test kits sent earlier by China have shown 40-per cent accuracy and so we did not use them." She added all those testing kits were not up to WHO standards, so they would not be used, but this statement was later on retracted.
The Chinese embassy in Manila denies claims
Right after the undersecretary's statement, the Philippine Chinese Embassy expressed their dismay and scolded the PH agency for their assertions. Soon enough, the Department of Health officials released a statement apologizing to the Chinese embassy.
The Chinese embassy was also in 'denial' on the reports of 'failed' test kits, which were also donated by China to many European nations.
According to the DOH, there were two batches of 2,000 BGI PCR-type test kits and 100,000 Sansure PCR-type test kits given by the mainland government. They were tested accordingly by the RITM and passed, just like the test kits supplied by the WHO.
The embassy added the test kits were accurate, high-quality, and used in Philippine test labs to hasten the testing. Right now, Philippines is in dire need of medical supplies and personal protective equipment most especially for its' front-liners or medical staff.
According to the Chinese Embassy, they reject any unfounded comments that undermine their cooperation during this crisis. The embassy also stressed the accuracy and reliablity of their test kits which are being donated all around the globe.
