The government will begin mass testing of persons suspected of COVID-19 infection on April 14.
"We are determined to fast track the accreditation of subnational laboratories so we can start the massive testing of persons under investigation (PUIs) and persons under monitoring (PUMs)," said Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr., presidential peace adviser and chief implementer of the National Action Plan against COVID-19, in a briefing Thursday evening.
"We expect that by April 14 we should be able to start massive testing," he added.
Aside from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, hospitals that have been accredited so far for COVID-19 testing include the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, San Lazaro Hospital, Western Visayas Medical Center, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Lung Center of the Philippines, Southern Philippines Medical Center and the University of the Philippines-National Institute of Health.
The government is also in the process of converting the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, World Trade Center, Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, and the Philippine International Convention Center into quarantine facilities.
The Philippines has recorded 2,633 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 107 deaths.