Philippines now has 100 COVID-19 testing labs

There are now 100 laboratories nationwide licensed to conduct independent testing for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday.

In a Facebook post, the DOH said the country has 76 accredited polymerase chain reaction facilities and 24 GeneXpert laboratories as of August 6. 

Filipinos can find the nearest laboratory in their area through the COVID-19 Laboratory Tracker.

There are also 88 other laboratories undergoing the five-step accreditation process, 86 percent of which are already on Stage 3 or above.

The licensed laboratories have tested 1,577,105 individuals as of August 5.

The government previously said its goal was to test a total of two million Filipinos by August.

The DOH and coronavirus testing czar Vince Dizon said the Philippines performed more COVID-19 tests than six other Asian nations in July. 

The Philippines has logged 119,460 cases as of Thursday afternoon, dislodging Indonesia as the country with the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia. 

Authorities have attributed the surge in infections in recent weeks to the country’s increased testing capacity and ongoing community transmission as a result of the easing of quarantine restrictions in June. — Julia Mari Ornedo/BM, GMA News