(Eagle News) – There are now 34 laboratories which have been certified by the Department of Health for COVID-19 PCR testing, including the Philippine National Police’s own certified laboratory, while eight more have been licensed as GeneXpert laboratories.
The PNP Crime Laboratory recently passed the stringent validation process of the DOH, and is now part of the 20 certified COVID-19 laboratories in Meto Manila.
As of May 25, the PNP reported a total of 278 confirmed COVID-19 cases among cops, with 117 recoveries, and four deaths.
Based on the latest data from DOH, there are 120 laboratories which have applied for certification, and 96 of them are in stage 3 and above comprising 80 percent of all laboratories.
The 34 laboratories which have already been certified have passed the stage 4 level and are now in the stage 5, meaning they have passed the DOH test and are already considered certified.
The 34 laboratories which can process the PCR or polymerase chain reaction test are the following:
In Metro Manila, there are 20 certified COVID-19 laboratories. These are the following:
Chinese General Hospital, Detoxicare Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Lung Center of the Philippines, Makati Medical Center, Marikina City Health Office, Philippine Genome Center in UP DIliman, Philippine National Red Cross in Mandaluyong, PRC Logistics and Multi-Purpose Center (PRC-PLMC), Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, San Lazaro Hospital, Singapore Diagnostics Inc., St. Luke’s Medical Center in BCG, St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City, The Medical City in Ortigas, UP National Institute of Health, UP-Philippine General Hospital-Molecular Research Laboratory, V. Luna Hospital; Asian Hospital and Medical Center, PNP Crime Laboratory, and National Kidney and Transplant Institute.
In the provinces, there are 14 certified COVID-19 laboratories. These are the following:
Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center in Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR); Ilocos Training Regional Medical Center in Region 1; JB Lingad Memorial Hospital in Region 3 (Central Luzon); De La Salle University Medical Center in Cavite, and Lucena United Doctors Hospital and Medical Center in Region 4-A (CALABARZON); Bicol Regional Diagnostic and Referance Laboratory in Region 5; Western Visayas Medical Center in Region 6 ( Western Visayas); Allegiant Regional Care Hospital, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center and Cebu TB Reference Laboratory in Region 7 (Central Visayas); Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center and Divine Word Hospital in Region 8 (Eastern Visayas); Zamboanga City Medical Center – DA Satellite Lab in Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula); and Southern Philippines Medical Center in Region 11 (Davao Region).
Meanwhile, there are eight certified laboratories for RT PCR using Gene Xpert nationwide:
Zamboanga City Medical Center; Cagayan Valley CHD TB Reference laboratory; Dr. Jose B. Rodriguuez memorial Hospital and Sanitarium (TALA); Lung Center of the Philippines; Tondo Medical Center; Northern Mindanao Medical Center; Ospital ng Palawan; and Cotabato Regional Medical Center.
These are already stage 5 laboratories for RT-PCR using Gene Xpert, which has been widely deployed about a decade go to to rapidly detect tuberculosesm and has been adapted to detect the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS COV2.
On Monday, May 25, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque initially said that there are already 66 certified COVID-19 laboratories nationwide.
But later, he corrected himself and said that the 66 COVID-19 laboratories are the targeted number of laboratories by end of May.
“Correction lang po ‘no: Iyong 66 labs na sinabi ko, iyan po iyong target by May 31. I stand corrected,” he said in a virtual Laging Handa presser on Monday, May 25.
(Eagle News Service)
