Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 21) — China, South Korea, and Brunei are among the countries who are donating COVID-19 test kits to the health department.
A release from the Department of Health (DOH) said a total of 120,500 test kits will be given to the country. This includes the 100,000 test kits from China which arrived Saturday morning at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport via a chartered flight.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin Jr. received the donation from China. Apart from the test kits, the shipment also included surgical masks, N95 masks, and personal protective equipment.
The DOH did not say when these other additional test kits would arrive in the country.
The DOH also said five sub-national laboratories that are able to process between 50 – 300 tests daily are now operating alongside the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
Two additional laboratories, the Western Visayas Medical Center and Bicol Public Health Laboratory, will have to undergo testing before they can begin processing tests.
In its most recent update, the DOH said as of Saturday afternoon there were 77 new cases of COVID-19. It is the bigest single-day increase since the first first case was confirmed in January.
So far there are 307 confirmed cases, and 19 people have died.
The DOH also said 13 people in the country have recovered from COVID-19.
Foreign Affairs Secretary @teddyboylocsin receives the donation of the Chinese government to the Philippines, which included medical supplies such as fast-test kits, surgical masks, N95 masks, and personal protective equipment. | via @DFAPHL pic.twitter.com/3Q3QnsWqaM
— CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) March 20, 2020
