Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 3) — The Department of Health has certified the UP-PGH Medical Research Laboratory and the Singapore Diagnostic, Inc., both located in Metro Manila, as COVID-19 testing laboratories.
Both facilities were identified as stage 5 laboratories — or the full scale implementation stage — that can perform RT-PCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction) testing.
There are now a total of 22 accredited COVID-19 testing laboratories nationwide, as the health department scales up efforts to increase the country’s testing capacity.
According to a DOH report released on Sunday, there are 36 more laboratories currently on stages 3 and 4 of the accreditation process. Under stage 3, hospital personnel undergo training for coronavirus testing, while stage 4 is tagged as the proficiency stage.
In the same report, the DOH noted that 106,520 individuals have been tested as of May 2, with a total of 120,736 tests conducted, including repeat tests. It added that there are some 244,000 remaining available test supplies.
The department was not able to reach its target testing capacity of 8,000 per day by the end of April, citing problems in services, including the week-long stoppage of operations of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.
The DOH also reiterated the need for the public to adapt in the “new normal” setting, which includes the continued strict adherence to physical distancing, proper hygiene, and cough etiquette.
The country so far has 9,223 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 607 deaths, and 1,214 recoveries. It recorded the highest single-day number of recoveries on Sunday, with 90 more patients getting well from the disease.
