FDA approves a total of 204 COVID-19 test kits

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday said it has approved a total of 204 COVID-19 test kits so far.

These include 71 polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based test kits, 77 rapid antibody test kits, 51 immunoassay test kits, and five others.

The number of COVID-19 cases reached 52,914

The DOH reported 1,233 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, of which 848 are “fresh” or newly validated, and 385 are “late.”

It also announced that the number of patients who have recovered from the COVID-19 in the Philippines surpassed 13,000 with 286 new ones, bringing the total to 13,230.

Meanwhile, 42 more fatalities brought the death toll to 1,360. 

The government’s move to ramp up its COVID-19 testing capacity is seen to ensure that the country will not regress to strictest lockdown measure or enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said Friday.

Socioeconomic Planning Acting Secretary and NEDA chief Karl Kendrick Chua said the government is on track to achieving 32,000 tests per day which will help bring down the positivity rate to below 5%. —KG, GMA News