DOH releases 25,000 COVID-19 test kits to 5 subnational laboratories

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 25,000 test kits for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been distributed to five subnational laboratories in Luzon and Visayas, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday.

According to DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu, San Lazaro Hospital in Manila, Baguio General Hospital, and Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City were all given 5,000 test kits each.

“Naipagpalabas na po natin ng tig-lilimang libong test [kits] ang ating subnational laboratories. Makakarating na po iyan sa kanila ngayong araw o baka bukas doon sa malalayo,” Vergeire said in a “public” briefing aired over state-run PTV.

The health official earlier said the 100,000 test kits donated by China will be allocated to the said subnational laboratories.

Vergeire added that DOH is now looking at private laboratories that may be tapped as additional COVID-19 testing facilities.

Meanwhile, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, the country’s leading facility on COVID-19 tests, has committed to finish the backlogs within two to three days.

To date, the Philippines has 707 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 45 of whom have died while 28 recovered. The cases were confirmed in the course of 2,147 tests.

COVID-19, which was considered by the World Health Organization as a pandemic, has infected more than 532,700 people worldwide and killed more than 24,050 as of March 27.

KGA