FILE –Continuous testing and tracing are important to keep COVID-19 cases just like in this photo taken in Baguio City. INQUIRER file photo / EV ESPIRITU
MANILA, Philippines — There are now a total of 100 licensed testing labs for the coronavirus disease 2019 in the country, the Department of Health said Friday.
In a statement, the DOH said the 100th laboratory it granted a license to was Chong Hua Hospital in Cebu City.
The country is now at the top spot when it comes to COVID-19 testing capacity in the entire Southeast Asian region, the DOH said, with a total of 1,667,831 tests conducted on 1,557,105 individuals.
The DOH has likewise recorded an average daily testing capacity of 27,800 within the last seven days.
“The licensing of the country’s 100th laboratory is part of the government’s continued efforts to increase the country’s capability to detect and appropriately manage confirmed COVID-19 patients in order to stop the spread of the virus,” the DOH said.
The health department added that there are still 87 more laboratories undergoing licensing process, which could be finished in the next months.