There are now 60 licensed COVID-19 testing laboratories in the country and 12,000 actual tests conducted per day.
In the coming weeks, the current tally will increase as the established modular testing laboratory of a private company at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City will be put to use.
Health officials and experts assured the equipment in the laboratory are new, the processing and evaluation will be thorough, and its staff are well-trained.
“We are going to open siguro sa (maybe to the) public then if ever we are going to charge, it will be a very low price,” VMMC Director Dr. Dominador Chiong said.
National Action Plan Against Covid-19 Deputy Chief Implementer Vince Dizon said it can process 300 to 400 tests per day. “Wala pa tayo sa gusto nating marating pero significant na ‘yong naging gains natin. So ang mahalaga sa testing laboratory, protection natin ito para kung magkaroon tayo ng potential second wave na sinasabi nila, na kung mangyayari man iyon (We are far from our target but our gains are significant. The important thing in testing laboratories is that these will be our protection if the event of a second wave),” Dizon said.
