The Department of Health (DOH) has announced that the country now has 16 certified laboratories that are capable of conducting real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for COVID-19 testing. Out of the 16 certified health facilities, three are located in Quezon City while the cities of Mandaluyong and Manila each have two.
“DOH is committed to strengthen testing capabilities of the country and capacitate more laboratories to conduct tests,” DOH said in an advisory. COVID-19 Response Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. also said earlier that the health authorities are expediting the accreditation of 15 other facilities in order to conduct at least 10,000 COVID-19 tests per day. The Philippines on Tuesday started its mass COVID-19 testing, although the DOH has clarified that not all will be tested for the virus.
“Our resources are not yet enough to do this,” said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire in a press conference, Monday. Usec. Vergeire also said that priority would go to critically ill patients, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with underlying medical conditions, as well as health care workers displaying symptoms of the disease.
“Testing coverage would be expanded once there were enough kits and laboratories to include those who had no symptoms but were on the frontlines, those who had possible exposure to the virus, and people with a history of travel and with symptoms,” she added. As of April 14, Philippines has a total of 5,453 cases of coronavirus, 349 deaths, and 353 recoveries.
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