DOH needs additional P362 million for genome sequencing

ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/01/06/pgc.jpg"/><figcaption><em>Screengrab from video from the Philippine Genome Center website</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - The Department of Health is requesting some P362 million to fund the country&#x27;s genome sequencing efforts for the whole year, which would help identify new COVID-19 variants.</p><p>&quot;That&#x27;s the required budget for the sustenance of a 1-year processing of genome sequencing,&quot; Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a regular press briefing Monday.</p><p>The proposed budget will include a year&#x27;s worth of supply of reagents or chemicals used in tests, testing kits and other logistical requirements.</p><p>&quot;[The] DBM (Department of Budget and Management) [has] committed [that] they will look funds for this. This was raised in the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) and IATF has the support for this provision of budget to these 3 institutions for us to sustain the genome sequencing processes,&quot; Vergeire said.</p><p>The 3 institutions that Vergeire was referring to were the Philippine Genome Center, University of the Philippines-National Institutes of Health and Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.</p><p>The agency&#x27;s budget for this year is <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/28/20/duterte-signs-p45-trillion-2021-national-budget">P210.2 billion</a>, which is 19.6 percent higher than its 2020 budget.</p><p>Funds for additional genome sequencing amid the presence of a highly transmissible variant, which first emerged in the United Kingdom, was not included in the 2021 budget, Vergeire said.</p><div><strong>SHORTAGE OF REAGENTS</strong></div><p>The health official also bared the agency was hindered by a global shortage of reagents, which they usually sourced from Singapore and US.</p><p>Due to lack of reagents, health institutions last week were only able to conduct genome sequencing of 48 samples, far from its usual 750 samples per week, Vergeire said.</p><p>&quot;We are fast-tracking the release of these reagents from Customs and hopefully we can start sequencing of 750 samples again,&quot; she added.</p><p>The reagents have arrived Sunday while testing kits are expected this week.</p><p>&quot;That&#x27;s why what we are going to do right now, we have discussed this with Philippine Genome Center and UPNHI that they we will be having advance procurement,&quot; Vergeire said.</p><p>&quot;Instead of just procuring 2 months’ worth of supply [or] 3 months’ worth of supply, we are now going to procure or to have this ordered for about 6 months.&quot;</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1610984" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>MANILA - The Department of Health is requesting some P362 million to fund the country's genome sequencing efforts for the whole year, which would help identify new COVID-19 variants.</p>

MANILA - The Department of Health is requesting some P362 million to fund the country's genome sequencing efforts for the whole year, which would help identify new COVID-19 variants.