The Department of Health said yesterday that more testing kits coming from different countries are expected to arrive in the Philippines as the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease-2019 continues to rise.
The DoH said that it is anticipating additional 120,500 test kits from South Korea, Brunei, and China, in addition to the 1,300 available test kits at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa City and the 2,050 test kits from China and South Korea.
The DoH said that it is “accelerating its COVID-19 testing capacity” as more test kits are coming.
It also reported that two additional laboratories are being set up to help in the testing for COVID-19.
“Western Visayas Medical Center and Bicol Public Health Laboratory will undergo proficiency testing for one week before it can begin testing,” the DoH said.
Five private hospitals will undergo assessment to be able to conduct testing for COVID-19.
“The DoH will be assisted by the World Health Organization and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine to assess five more molecular biology laboratories in private tertiary hospitals as possible extension labs starting March 21,” the DoH noted.
The five private hospitals are St. Luke’s Medical Center-Global City, Makati Medical Center, The Medical City, St. Luke’s Medical Center-Quezon City, and Chinese General Hospital.
“We must underscore the importance of laboratory certification due to the hazards of handling a live virus. The department is exercising utmost care in certifying more subnational laboratories and ensuring that biosafety measures are in place,” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
The University of the Philippines-National Institutes of Health has been mobilized as an extension laboratory and is “currently testing overflow samples” from the RITM.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire reported that they have recorded 32 more cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Philippines to 262.
She said that 13 individuals have recovered from COVID-19, while 19 patients have died. The DoH has yet to release information regarding the new cases as of posting time. (Analou de Vera)
