Specimen collection booths to protect medical staff conducting COVID-19 tests -DOST chief

The specimen collection booths the government has started delivering across the country aim to protect medical personnel conducting COVID-19 tests, an official said Thursday.

Fortunato Dela Peña, secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), said the booths have plywood walls, a clear waterproof acrylic window, airconditioning, roof-mounted ventilation, and a slanted specimen table to maintain distance between the tester and the patient.

"Meron din po siyang isang feature, ito po ay 'yung pagkakaroon ng positive pressure that has to be maintained inside the booth nang sa ganon po ay ma-prevent ang entry ng outside contamination inside the booth. Meron siyang compression sensor na ginagamit," he said at the Laging Handa public briefing.

The secretary said the DOST has delivered 53 units to the National Capital Region and Regions 1 and 2; the rest are in the process of delivery.

He said the Department of Health (DOH) requested 132 units to be deployed in hospitals across the country. Thirty-eight booths will be used in level-2 and 3 hospitals, and 94 will be used in the regions, he said.

The designer of the specimen collection booth, a startup company assisted by the DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development, has shared the design for further production, provided that the specifications are followed, Dela Peña said.

The official said earlier this week that the regional offices of the DOST will partner with the DOH in setting up the booths in the country. --Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas/KBK, GMA News