As the country readies for wider testing among “asymptomatics,” National Task Force Covid-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said he had endorsed the use of the “Stay Safe” app to the interior department, for use by local government units (LGUs).
“Nagsusumikap po ang [interior department] na talagang palakasin po ang ating contact tracing, at sa ngayon po talagang nagti-train pa ho tayo. And then iyon nga, nagsabi nga po ang ating [health] secretary na they will be indulging on recruiting more contract-tracers. Ang ating ‘Stay Safe’ app ay ini-endorse po namin ng DILG para at least gamitin po ng ating mga LGU,” Galvez said during Saturday’s Laging Handa briefing.
The “Stay Safe” online platform consists of a website and a mobile application. After registration on the platform, users will be prompted to choose what symptoms they show, and will be told whether their cases were mild, moderate or severe.
Users with severe cases may undergo online consultation with health workers after getting their results.
Galvez said that his task force had yet to meet with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and the interior and information and communications technology departments regarding the turning over of user data to other local and national government agencies.
The government targets to maximize its daily testing capacity of almost 42,000 by conducting broader contact tracing and mass testing of asymptomatic frontliners.
Galvez said the country’s contact tracing capabilities had improved by 80 percent.
As of June 6, the country has recorded 21,340 Covid-19 cases, with 4,441 recoveries and 994 deaths. John Ezekiel J. Hirro