DOH: Gene Xpert test kits arriving to boost testing capacity

The Department of Health (DOH) announced that technology capable of releasing faster laboratory results for COVID-19 tests is arriving in the Philippines.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire stated that 3,000 Gene Xpert test kits, which are normally used to diagnose tuberculosis and can yield results within 45 minutes, will arrive next week.

These kits need validation by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) before being deployed to testing laboratories.

Once validated, these kits will help increase the country's testing capacity for COVID-19.