DOH eyes expanding capacity for genome sequencing By JULIA MARI ORNEDO, GMA News
Published May 7, 2021 3:53pm The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said it plans to expand the country’s whole genome sequencing capacity to detect more cases of coronavirus variants. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said only the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, University of the Philippines National Institutes of Health, and Philippine Genome Center currently have the capacity for genome sequencing. “We would like to expand the capacity for this whole genome sequencing not just here in Metro Manila but also having strategic hubs in the other areas of the country,” she said in an online briefing.
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MANILA, May 3 — Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin M. Andanar said on Friday that a united country’s support for Filipino scientists can help us achieve our goal of becoming a vaccine self-reliant nation. once we are able to locally produce COVID-19.
Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara (Manila Bulletin File Photo)
Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara, who leads the TG-VES, said more vaccine manufacturers were expected to file their EUA application before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Two or three more,” she told the Manila Bulletin in a Viber message when asked on the number of vaccine developers that will apply for EUA of their COVID-19 vaccines.
She said while, they were expecting more applicants, “we might not have any EUA approvals this month.”
Guevara noted that it takes longer than one week for the FDA to process EUA applications.
(Photo from Mayor Maliksi Facebook)
The rollout came after Ospital ng Imus got approval to perform pooled testing from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine – Department of Health (RITM-DOH) on April 12.
In a Facebook post, Emmanuel L. Maliksi said the pooled testing approval will boost the city’s capacity to test more people as it tries to stop the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
As of April 19, Imus has 1,051 active COVID-19 cases, 996 of which are under home quarantine.