Falsifying COVID-19 test results punishable by law, DOH warns

Falsifying COVID-19 test results is prohibited and punishable under the law, the Department of Health (DOH) warned Wednesday amid reports of clinics and individuals faking polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results to travel amid the pandemic.

In a statement, the DOH said that faking COVID-19 test results is a prohibited act under Republic Act 11332 or the Law on Reporting of Communicable Diseases, which states that anyone found guilty of "tampering of records or intentionally providing misinformation" shall be penalized with a fine ranging from P20,000 to 50,000, or a jail term of one to six months.

The DOH listed the following ways to verify if a laboratory is licensed to conduct COVID-19 PCR testing:

• Visit the DOH website for the complete list of licensed COVID-19 testing laboratories,
• Check the daily-updated list of the licensed COVID-19 testing laboratories in BEAT COVID-19 Situational Report uploaded on the DOH Official Facebook page,
• Consult with or seek advice from your local health centers and Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Units health care provider (BHERT, rural/city health units or health centers) in case you need to get tested,
• Ask for a copy of their readily available license specific for COVID-19 RT-PCR testing valid until December 31, 2021 only and usually posted in their vicinity.

The DOH also stressed that not all diagnostic laboratories are licensed to conduct PCR COVID-19 testing and that the DOH does not issue licenses for antigen testing.

Two tourists were arrested in Boracay in January after authorities learned that they presented falsified PCR test results. 

Last year, four people were nabbed in Ilocos Norte and two Rizal provincial security officers were arrested for faking their COVID-19 test results.

A print shop in Quezon City and a clinic in Valenzuela were also found to be falsifying results. 

“The DOH reminds and urges everyone to get tested only in licensed COVID-19 testing laboratories,” health authorities said. — Julia Mari Ornedo/BM, GMA News