The Department of Health has revealed that there are eight new coronavirus disease or COVID-19-related deaths that have been recorded. The cases also nears the 400 mark as 16 new cases have been confirmed bringing the total number of patients in the Philippines to 396.
Health spokesperson Ma. Rosario Vergeire said that the new eight deaths bring the total number of fatalities in the Philippines to 33. Meanwhile, eighteen patients have recovered from the highly-contagious viral disease.
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Vegeire added that the numbers are expected to rise as the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and several other subnational laboratories are addressing backlogs of test results.
In a media briefing, Vergeire says China’s donation of 100,000 test kits have already been allocated to different subnational laboratories based on need and capacity.
“Nabigyan na po natin ng allocations ang mga subnational laboratories, mostly po nasa RITM dahil po sila ang may pinakamataas ang capacity para magawa ng tests dahil marami silang makina,” she said.
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Vergeire added that the protocols are in place on who should be tested and who should remain at home and monitor themselves.
“Susundin pa rin natin ang dating protocol natin para kung sino ang dapat itest at sino ang dapat manatili sa kanilang bahay at imonitor ang kanilang sarili,” she added.
