Duterte orders probe into PRC's 'false positive' COVID-19 tests

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the Department of Health (DOH), through the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), to investigate reports of "false positive" COVID-19 test results from the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).

The investigation aims to ensure the accuracy of the machines used for RT-PCR testing in the country.

Duterte cited reports concerning hospital personnel in Subic, Presidential Security Group (PSG) members, and Department of Finance (DOF) officials.

Specifically, 44 out of 49 hospital personnel in Subic who initially tested positive at a PRC laboratory later yielded negative results after retesting elsewhere.

While acknowledging that RT-PCR tests are not perfect, Duterte stated that steps are being taken to improve their accuracy.

Senator Richard Gordon, who chairs the PRC, welcomed the investigation and stated that the PRC rechecked the initial positive results for the Subic incident and confirmed them to be positive.