Philippines now has 17 accredited COVID-19 testing laboratories
The Philippines has ramped up to 17 the number of facilities that can conduct testing for COVID-19 with the addition of Chinese General Hospital in Manila, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles announced Saturday.
“Ngayon, noong IATF briefing noong Miyerkules, nabanggit ko na nasa 16 na po ang testing centers sa buong bansa,” Nograles, who is also the spokesperson for the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), said in a brieifng.
“Yesterday, the DOH (Department of Health) announced that it has accredited one more institution, the Chinese General Hospital in Manila, bringing the number of testing centers in the country to 17,” he said.
As of Saturday, the following are the DOH-accredited testing sites nationwide:
- Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa City
- Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center in Baguio City
- San Lazaro Hospital in Manila City
- Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City
- Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City
- University of the Philippines National Institutes of Health in Manila City
- Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City
- Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo City
- Bicol Public Health Laboratory in Legazpi City
- St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City
- Victoriano Luna Hospital in Quezon City
- The Medical City in Pasig City
- Makati Medical Center in Makati City
- Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory in Mandaluyong City
- St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City
- Philippine Red Cross in Mandaluyong
- Chinese General Hospital in Manila City
As of Friday, there were 5,878 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, the DOH said.
The country's death toll reached 387 while the total recoveries totaled 487. —KG, GMA News