{"id":252414,"date":"2020-04-17T02:32:14","date_gmt":"2020-04-17T06:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=252414"},"modified":"2020-04-17T02:32:14","modified_gmt":"2020-04-17T06:32:14","slug":"132-sample-collection-booths-to-be-set-up-nationwide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2020\/04\/17\/132-sample-collection-booths-to-be-set-up-nationwide\/","title":{"rendered":"132 sample collection booths to be set up nationwide"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Nograles, spokesperson of the Inter-Ageny Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), said DOST\u2019s regional offices will partner with DOH in setting up the sample collecting booths in the country. (File photo<\/a> screengrab from PCOO via pnagovph\/Twitter<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MANILA<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will install around 132 sample specimen collecting booths all throughout the country to improve the country\u2019s testing capacity for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections.<\/p>\n

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the establishment of the specimen collection booths was intended to complement the 16 Covid-19 testing centers nationwide that have been accredited by the Department of Health (DOH).<\/p>\n

Nograles, spokesperson of the Inter-Ageny Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), said DOST\u2019s regional offices will partner with DOH in setting up the sample collecting booths in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the IATF repeatedly stresses, improving our testing capabilities is one of the government\u2019s top priorities,\u201d he said in a virtual press conference aired on state-run PTV-4. \u201cThe DOST plans to set up at least 132 specimen collection booths in different regions nationwide\u2026 It will set up sample collecting booths nationwide to facilitate the government\u2019s expanded testing efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n

On a Facebook post, DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Pe\u00f1a announced that around 34 specimen collection booths will be set up in Metro Manila.<\/p>\n

Dela Pe\u00f1a said other collecting booths will be established in Zamboanga Peninsula (10), Central Luzon (8), and Central Visayas (7).<\/p>\n

He added that there will be six sample collecting booths each in Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, and Western Visayas.<\/p>\n

Bicol Region and Nothern Mindanao will have five collection booths each, while Calabarzon, Davao Region, and Caraga Region will have four specimen collecting booths, Dela Pe\u00f1a said.<\/p>\n

Dela Pe\u00f1a said three specimen collection booths will be set up each in Eastern Visayas and Soccksksargen, while two booths will be installed in Mimaropa.<\/p>\n

\u201cAming ilalabas ang mga karagdagan detalye ng mga napiling pasilidad na mapagkalooban ng mga<\/em>\u00a0collection booths\u00a0sa mga susunod na araw<\/em>\u00a0(We will release in the coming days the additional information about the facilities that will have collection booths),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Philippines currently has DOH-accredited 16 testing centers that can check possible Covid-19 infections.<\/p>\n

Metro Manila\u2019s accredited testing laboratories are UP National Institutes of Health and San Lazaro Hospital in Manila; Philippine Red Cross and Detoxicare Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory in Mandaluyong; Lung Center of the Philippines, St. Luke\u2019s Medical Center and Victoriano Luna Hospital in Quezon City; The Medical City in Pasig; Makati Medical Center; St. Luke\u2019s Medical Center in Taguig; and Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa.<\/p>\n

Other authorized testing centers outside of Metro Manila are Baguio General hospital and Medical Center; Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu; Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao; Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo; and the Bicol Diagnostic and Reference Laboratory in Legazpi City.<\/p>\n

Nograles said more testing laboratories will soon be operational, once they get certification from DOH.<\/p>\n

He added that the IATF-EID supports the accreditation of all testing laboratories, including the one being established in Marikina City.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a general rule, the IATF fully supports the establishment and accreditation of all testing laboratories in the Philippines that will help us increase our testing capabilities and capacities. Necessarily,\u00a0kasama na po diyan yung<\/em>\u00a0Marikina (it includes the one set up in Marikina),\u201d Nograles said.<\/p>\n

Marikina City is setting up its own Covid-19 testing facility even sans the accreditation from DOH.<\/p>\n

Nograles, however, noted that the accreditation for Marikina City\u2019s testing center for Covid-19 is being expedited.<\/p>\n

\u201cKaunti na lang at ma<\/em>-accredit\u00a0na sila<\/em>\u00a0(They will soon get the accreditation),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MANILA\u00a0\u2013 The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will install around 132 sample specimen collecting booths all throughout the country …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":251112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,95],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-252414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-news-ph","mauthors-ruth-abbey-gita-carlos","mauthors-philippine-news-agency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=252414"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252414\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":252415,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252414\/revisions\/252415"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=252414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=252414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=252414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}