International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) and Bloomberry Resorts Corporation’s (BRC) Solaire Resort & Casino recently started rapid antibody testing of its employees primarily for their protection and in preparation for their eventual re-entry into the workplace.
Complementing the Philippine government's thrust to help curb the spread of the coronavirus disease, ICTSI and Solaire partnered with the Tropical Disease Foundation (TDF) and Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (AC Health) to screen employees for the COVID-19 virus, both for those who have been working from home and for those who have been working at the very front lines to help keep the economy moving.
Using a two-pronged strategy proposed by health experts – first, rapid testing will be done through point-of-care test kits, a diagnostic tool that measures antibodies from a blood sample in ~10-15 minutes. While an emerging science, rapid testing works on the premise that antibodies can potentially be markers of past and active infections.
Also in conjunction with required confirmatory testing, a second test using traditional kits, processed through a real-time polymerase chain reaction or RT-PCR machine, can detect the presence of the actual coronavirus within days and are deemed more accurate.
To ensure that the samples are processed properly and the results are interpreted correctly, trained health professionals from the TDF and AC Health are supervising the entire testing process.
Also as part of efforts to ramp up local testing capability, the TDF is working with the Department of Health (DOH) and Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) to fast-track the validation and approval of its required laboratory certification to do coronavirus tests.
As soon as it receives the required accreditation, a memorandum of agreement will be signed between TDF, AC Health, and Bloomberry Cultural Foundation, Inc. (BCFI), BRC’s social responsibility arm to process confirmatory tests at TDF’s facility.
Enrique K. Razon Jr., Chairman of ICTSI and BRC, stressed: “Our employees are our number one asset. As we try to overcome this most difficult phase and into the ‘new normal’, we do so without letting our guard down. Consistent with our aim of helping the country’s health infrastructure in tackling the extent of the pandemic, our decision to invest in mass testing will give us, our employees, and their loved ones the reassurance that they will have a safe working environment, which ICTSI and Solaire are well-known for.”
To augment the much needed supply of the government for testing COVID-19, BCFI recently procured 100,000 test kits from China and South Korea approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Foundation likewise donated Php 60 million worth of PPEs and N95 masks to the Health Department, which were then distributed to hospitals and medical front liners across the country.
As a priority, ICTSI, Solaire Resort & Casino, and other subsidiaries within the Razon Group continue to take care of and extend support to its employees – complying with stringent safety and precautionary protocols to protect them and their loved ones against the pandemic. The Group likewise continues to provide salaries and benefits for employees who are reporting onsite, and those who work from home.
Mass testing for ICTSI, Solaire employees. International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) and Bloomberry Resorts Corporation’s (BRC) Solaire Resort & Casino recently started rapid antibody testing of its employees, primarily for their protection and in preparation for their eventual re-entry into the workplace. Trained health professionals supervise the entire process to ensure that the samples are processed properly and the results are interpreted correctly.
About International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI)
Headquartered and established in 1988 in Manila, Philippines, International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) is in the business of port operations, management and development. ICTSI’s portfolio of terminals and projects spans developed and emerging market economies in the Asia Pacific, the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa. ICTSI has received global acclaim for its public-private partnerships with governments divesting of their port assets to the private sector. (www.ictsi.com)
About Bloomberry Resorts Corporation (BRC)
Bloomberry Resorts Corporation is a public company listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange that develops destination resorts featuring premium accommodations, gaming and entertainment, and world-class restaurants and other amenities. Bloomberry Resorts Corporation’s subsidiaries own and operate the Solaire Resort & Casino in the Philippines and Jeju Sun Hotel & Casino in Korea. Bloomberry’s primary purpose is to subscribe, acquire, hold, sell, assign or dispose of shares of stock and other securities of any corporation, including those engaged in hotel and/or gaming and entertainment business or in the business of an investment company, to the extent permitted by law, and to be involved in the management and operations of such investee companies; and to guarantee the obligations of its subsidiaries or affiliates or any entity in which Bloomberry has lawful interest. (www.bloomberry.ph)