MANILA, Philippines — The country’s laboratories still have to process about 1,500 backlogged test results for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as of June 8. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Tuesday said laboratories were able to reduce some 4,000 test backlogs since May. She noted that COVID-19 accredited testing centers such as the Vicente Sotto Memorial Center encountered problems in its laboratory which hindered the processing of test results. The Department of Health (DOH) has been fast-tracking its test results in the last few weeks to eliminate backlogs and release real-time data on the COVID-19 situation in the country. The DOH also changed the way it reported its day-to-day COVID-19 cases, separating “fresh” cases from “late” cases.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer June 09, 2020 06:45 UTC