Philippines now has 22 COVID-19 testing centers —DOH

The number of testing centers for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Philippines has climbed to 22 after two more laboratories received accreditation, according to the Department of Health.

In its sixth COVID-19 situationer released Sunday, the DOH said it has licensed the Philippine General Hospital and Singapore Diagnostic Inc. as testing centers.

Seventeen of the 22 accredited laboratories are in Metro Manila, while the remaining five are in the Cordillera Administrative Region and in Regions V, VI, VII, and XI.

Meanwhile, the Asian Hospital and Medical Center and De La Salle University Dasmariñas are at Stage 4 of the five-step accreditation process.

A total of 75 laboratories nationwide have applied for certification, 58 of which are already at Stage 3 and above.

Data from the DOH as of Friday show that 103,692 people have been tested for COVID-19, of whom 89.1 percent tested negative while 10.7 percent were positive.

As of Saturday, certified laboratories reported a testing capacity of 5,264, far from the DOH target of 8,000 tests daily by the end of April. 

The department earlier said the country’s testing capacity could be bolstered to 9,500 tests per day once the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital in Pampanga becomes operational. 

The Department of Public Works and Highways also said that over 31,000 tests could be conducted daily by next week once four mega swabbing facilities go online. 

The Philippines has recorded 9,223 COVID-19 cases with 1,214 recoveries and 607 deaths as of Sunday afternoon. — Julia Mari Ornedo/BM, GMA News