MUNTINLUPA CITY, Philippines – The Department of Health-Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (DOH-RITM) has reported that its testing laboratories have hit a quarter of a million coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) tests with 251,583 samples processed since January 20.
In a statement released on Saturday (September 12), RITM Director Celia Carlos attributed their accomplishment to the hard work of their research team.
“This milestone is largely possible through the dedication and commitment of our Laboratory Research Division,” Carlos said.
“To date, we have deployed more than 500 laboratory personnel who tirelessly work across 12-hour shifts daily,” she added.
The RITM also reported that, with the surging number of cases, it “has activated three testing streams involving several departments and reference laboratories to accommodate specimens within its catchment areas in the National Capital Region (NCR), Region 4A, and Region 4B.”
“We test a total of 2,000 to 2,500 nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal specimens per day. This is part of our institutional augmented response where laboratory departments are collaborating to deliver and perform heightened COVID-19 testing,” explained Dr. Carlos.
To further expand the COVID-19 testing capacity of the country, the RITM is likewise heavily involved in the evaluation of applicant laboratories across all 17 regions.
As of September 4, the Institute has assisted in the accreditation of 117 rRT-PCR and cartridge-based PCR labs which have tested 251,583 samples which correspond to 210,031 individuals by September 8. — /mbmf
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