Manila Bulletin
DOST, DOH to set up specimen collection booths around the country
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Department of Health (DOH) will partner to deploy 132 specimen collection booths nationwide to enhance the country's COVID-19 testing capacity.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles stated that these booths are intended to complement the existing 16 accredited COVID-19 testing centers, with more expected to become operational soon.
The National Capital Region (NCR) will have 34 booths, while other regions will receive varying numbers based on their needs.
The Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has identified the improvement of testing capabilities as a top government priority.
The DOST will soon announce additional details regarding the chosen locations for these collection booths.
Topics in this story
Explore more stories about these topics.
🤖
This story was generated by AI to help you understand the key points. For more detailed coverage, please see the news articles from trusted media outlets below.
News Sources
See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
The Department of Health (DOH) is procuring a three-month supply of COVID-19 test kits to increase the country's testing capacity.
Read more →
The Philippines has 15 accredited laboratories for COVID-19 testing as of April 13, 2020, an increase from the previous ten.
Read more →
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is coordinating with the Department of Health (DOH) to start mass COVID-19 testing in prisons after cases were recorded.
Read more →
Mass testing for COVID-19, employing a risk-based and progressive approach, will be conducted continuously in the Philippines, according to DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
Read more →
The Department of Health (DOH) has conducted 61,049 individual tests for Covid-19 as of April 21.
Read more →