MANILA, Philippines — The test kits developed by the University of the Philippines National Institute of Health (UPNIH) are expected to be used for confirming 2019 coronavirus disease cases starting next week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Wednesday. “The commitment [of the UPNIH] is to start it within a week. So the target is Monday next week, and they are committed to 1,000 test a week,” FDA Director-General Dr. Eric Domingo said, speaking partly in Filipino, during a press conference at DOH main office when asked about the deployment of test kits, which are funded by the Department of Science and Technology. ADVERTISEMENTThe test kits, which can release confirmatory results in just two hours, had already been approved by the FDA to fast-track the testing of people being monitored for the fatal disease. According to RITM, only persons under investigation (PUIs) for the coronavirus disease would be tested.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer March 11, 2020 15:22 UTC