MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang again assured the public on Sunday that the government had sufficient funds for diagnostic kits for the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). “DOST categorically states that it is not in any way involved in the call by some groups for donations regarding access to test kits. Moreover, scientists from the University of the Philippines have developed a cheaper test kit, the GenAmplify COVID-19 detection kit, and 6,000 test kits also have already been manufactured by Manila HealthTek Inc., which can produce 200 kits a week, said UP President Danilo Concepcion. According to Dr. Eric Domingo, director-general of the Food and Drug Administration, the GenAmplify test kits are set to start field testing on March 16 and will be available soon. Aside from the GenAmplify kits, only the test kits at the RITM, which were donated by the World Health Organization, are approved by the FDA for local use.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer March 15, 2020 21:00 UTC