The Department of Health (DOH) clarified on Monday that it did not impose any restrictions on laboratories on the issuance of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) positive results to concerned patients.
The department issued the statement after Senator Richard Gordon said that at least one-third of more than 15,700 positive confirmed cases have not been informed about their status and have been dangerously increasing community transmission.
“Given the urgency of the situation, we are now constrained to request the DOH to allow the PRC (Philippine Red Cross) to send the positive results to patients through a team of volunteer doctors,” Gordon said.
READ MORE: Red Cross offers to help DOH notify COVID-19 positive persons
The DOH noted that there is no need to ask permission from them to release the results of the patients as long as they abide with the pertinent DOH issuances on the matter.
Under the DOH Administrative Order No. 2020-0013, it mandates that health facilities and disease reporting units, which include laboratories, to designate a COVID-19 Coordinator, who shall, among others, disclose laboratory results to attending physicians of concerned individuals.
“In any given setting, the responsibility of informing tested individuals or their physicians of test results falls with the laboratories,” the department said.
“All laboratory facilities shall provide official positive and negative results to patients and local government units through physical or electronic mechanisms, in order to facilitate immediate isolation, contact tracing, and other appropriate local actions,” it added.
Cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines rose to 164,474 as 3,314 new confirmed cases were added to the tally on Monday, the DOH reported.
The department also reported 237 new recoveries, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 112,759, while a total of 18 patients succumbed to the disease, bringing the death toll to 2,681.
READ MORE: COVID-19 cases in PH surge to 164,474