The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday said it can conduct more than 11,000 Covid-19 tests a day from the previous 6,000 daily testing.
“As of May 15, we were able to conduct 11,127 tests in a day. This represents a sustained increase in our testing capacity from 6,634 tests per day just last May 12. Last week we averaged 9,600 tests per day with a high of 11, 127,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.
During the DOH Beat Covid-19 virtual press conference, Vergeire also vowed that the agency will be more “critical” when it comes to their testing capacity.
As of 4 p.m. of May 18, the (DOH) reported 205 new cases (PH12514-PH12718) of Covid-19. The total number of cases in the country is now at 12,718.
The DOH also announced that there were 94 new recoveries. This brings the total number of recoveries to 2,729.
Meanwhile, seven new deaths were recorded. The death toll stood at 831.
Second wave
Vergeire, on the other hand, admitted that the DOH was alarmed after seeing pictures and videos of people who trooped to shopping malls over the weekend after the modified enhanced community quarantine was implemented.
“Kami po ay nagpapa-alala na hindi pa tapos ang ‘World War C (Covid-19)’ hindi pa tapos ang laban sa Covid-19,” Vergeire said, stressing that the malls were opened to ease up the “financial stress” of the economy and not for the public to go “malling”.
Vergeire underscored the threat of “second wave” and that the DOH continues to remind people to practice physical distancing, use face mask and frequent hand washing as part of preventive measures.
The DOH official also urged the local executives and mall owners to make sure that mall goers observe the minimum public health standards to prevent the spread of the virus.
She said that Interior Secretary Eduardo Año already directed the local government units and Joint Task Force Covid Shield to close the malls that fail to comply with the minimum public health standards.
“We should remember that we all have a big responsibility to stop the transmission of the virus. If many of us will go out and not practice physical distancing and other preventive measures, the bigger the possibility of the virus to spread,” Vergeire concluded.
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