DOH, RITM accredit PNP's RT/PCR facility -spox

The Department of Health (DOH) and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) have certified the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing facility of the Philippine National Police, its spokesman confirmed on Monday.

According to Police Brigadier General Bernard Banac, the formal launching of the police organization's RT/PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) facility will be on Tuesday, May 26.

In a separate television interview, PNP chief Police General Archie Gamboa said the facility would cater first to cops and their dependents.

"We can go as much as 150 testing capacity per day. Pero maintindihan sana ng publiko na ito naman pinut-up namin primarily for the PNP personnel and their dependents muna. So unahin muna namin 'yung kapulisan and then mga dependents," Gamboa told ANC.

RT-PCR or reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction is a method that detects the presence of a specific genetic material, including viruses, from a pathogen, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

So far, the PNP has 263 confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 cases, with four deaths and 102 recoveries. —AOL, GMA News