By JOVILAND RITA, GMA News
Published January 24, 2021 10:32am
Updated January 24, 2021 3:02pm The Department of Health has approved the use of saliva as alternative specimen in COVID-19 tests in Philippine Red Cross laboratories, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Saturday.
In a public briefing, Vergeire said the DOH allowed the PRC laboratories to conduct saliva testing after the humanitarian group presented the results its study on Wednesday. “Wednesday, nakipagpanayam po tayo with the Philippines Red Cross. They presented their results dito po sa ating laboratory experts panel at napagkasunduan naman pong…it was agreed by the laboratory experts panel na puwede nang payagan,” she said.
Declaring community transmission of UK variant still premature RITM By TED CORDERO, GMA News
Published January 23, 2021 12:58pm While 16 more cases of the UK variant of coronavirus were detected in the Philippines, declaring there is already community transmission of the more transmissible variant in the country is still premature, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine said Saturday. In a virtual press briefing, RITM director Dr. Celia Carlos said that investigation is still ongoing to determine the exposures of the 16 new UK variant. “Considering that investigation is ongoing, it may be premature for us now to determine whether there is ongoing community transmission. We need to wait for the results of investigation,” she said.
4:52 PM MYT MANILA, Jan. 23 (Xinhua): The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines reported on Saturday 1,797 new confirmed coronavirus disease cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the South-East Asian country to 511,679.
The death toll climbed to 10,190 after 54 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said. It added 166 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 467,886.
The Philippines, with a population of 110 million, has tested over seven million people since the disease emerged in the country in January last year.
The DOH said there is no evidence of community transmission following the detection of the most contagious coronavirus variant in 17 patients in the Philippines.
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