Singapore will donate 3,000 coronavirus testing kits and a PCR (thermal cycler) machine to the Philippines to assist fight the viral disease, Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin Jr. said on Sunday.
Making the announcement on Twitter, the country’s top diplomat thanked the Singapore government.
Singapore IS DONATING 3,000 COVID test kits and one PCR machine. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I remind the president of this now. I’m a bit drained.
-Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) March 22, 2020
“Singapore is donating 3,000 Covid test kits and one PCR machine. Thank you very much,” he said, adding that he intended to send a note to the President, quote Inquirer.
The Philippine government has sought to extend the availability of testing kits, masks and protective equipment amid a rise in cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which first emerged within the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019.
According to ABS-CBN, Donations from China including 100,000 COVID-19 test kits, 100,000 surgical masks, 10,000 N95 masks and 10,000 sets of non-public protective equipment arrived in Manila early Saturday.
On Saturday, March 21, the Department of Health (DOH) announced that within the country accredited research centers they’ve average testing capability to date as much as 1000 per day, with the bulk coming from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM). The DoH said testing can be limited to severe and sensitive cases for now.
The World Health Organization had previously urged countries to check “every suspected case” of the virus because it formed the “backbone” of the pandemic response. This was seen in South Korea, which managed to regulate the spread of the disease through massive testing efforts.
Philippine Food and Drug Administration approved 4 sets of tests for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus for industrial use.
Meanwhile, test kits developed by the University of the Philippines National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH) will take about 2 or 3 weeks To be approved.
Health authorities said as of Sunday, the Philippines had 380 cases, 25 deaths from Covid-19 and 15 recoveries
