MANILA, Philippines — The laboratory of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) can now conduct coronavirus disease (COVID-19) tests independently, the Department of Health (DOH) announced Wednesday.
This brings to 16 the total number of testing centers capable of testing people for the disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus or SARS-CoV 2.
Here’s the list of DOH-accredited COVID-19 testing centers:
Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa City
Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center in Baguio City
San Lazaro Hospital in Manila City
Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City
Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City
University of the Philippines National Institutes of Health in Manila City
Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City
Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo City
Bicol Public Health Laboratory in Legazpi City
St Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City
Victoriano Luna Hospital in Quezon City
The Medical City in Pasig City
Makati Medical Center in Makati City
Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory in Mandaluyong City
St Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City
Philippine Red Cross in Mandaluyong
The government has drawn public backlash for low COVID-19 testing rate despite the continuous rise of infection of the respiratory illness. But it has said that it plans to run 3,000 tests by April 14, and then 8,000 to 10,000 tests by the end of the month.
On Tuesday, the government launched an “expanded” testing of suspected coronavirus carriers.
The DOH reported Tuesday afternoon 291 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the country’s total cases to 5,223 with 335 deaths, and 295 recoveries.