Rappler
PH’s actual coronavirus tests far behind ‘estimated capacity’ of 32,000
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque claimed the Philippines exceeded its target testing capacity of 30,000 per day, reaching 32,100 tests on May 20.
However, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire clarified that this figure represents the estimated maximum capacity of all licensed laboratories, not the actual number of tests conducted.
This estimated capacity is based on the number of machines, human resources, and operating hours of the 42 licensed laboratories.
The country had previously missed its target of 8,000 daily tests by the end of April.
The government had aimed to increase the number of accredited COVID-19 testing laboratories to 66 by the end of May and boost capacity to 50,000 tests per day by June.
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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) clarified that the 32,000 daily COVID-19 testing figure is the country's estimated maximum capacity, not the actual number of tests conducted.
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Malacañang urged the Department of Health (DOH) to increase the number of actual COVID-19 tests conducted daily, as the daily testing count falls short of the country's overall testing capacity.
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Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque clarified that the government's policy is expanded targeted testing, not mass testing, with a goal to test 1.5 to 2 percent of the country's 110 million population.
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The Philippines recorded 380 new COVID-19 cases on May 27, bringing the total to 15,049, which is the highest number of new daily cases since April 6.
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The Philippine government is collaborating with the private sector to enhance the nation's COVID-19 testing capacity, aiming for 30,000 tests daily.
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