Philippines to surpass South Korea's COVID-19 tests by August

The Philippines' testing czar, Vince Dizon, stated that the country will surpass South Korea's number of COVID-19 tests by August.

As of July 26, the Philippines has conducted nearly 1.4 million tests, second only to South Korea with 1.5 million tests.

Dizon expressed confidence in reaching over two million tests by August, noting that the country already exceeded its target of 30,000 daily tests on July 25.

The increased testing capacity is due to the expansion from one testing center in March to 94 accredited laboratories nationwide.

Testing will also be expanded to include front-liners not involved in medical work, workers in priority tourism zones, and economic zone employees.

Local government units now have authority to test their constituents for free through PhilHealth in areas declared as hotspots.