In its continued battle against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has tested nearly five million Filipinos, it said on Monday, Nov. 29.

As of Monday, the PRC said that it has conducted 4,985,940 tests.
"We have been here since the beginning of the pandemic with our unwavering commitment to curb the pandemic. More than a year later, volunteers and staff continue to work nonstop each day, driven by the battle cry 'We Test to Save Lives'. No matter what the circumstances are, the Red Cross is Always First, Always Ready, and Always There to help our people, especially the most vulnerable," PRC Chairman and CEO Senator Dick Gordon said.
Despite the decline in COVID-19 cases, Gordon also emphasized the importance of regularly practicing all safety protocols as the pandemic is not yet over.
"Even if there are fewer COVID-19 cases now, I want to remind everyone to keep their guard up, especially as the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced a new COVID-19 variant of concern named Omnicron," Gordon said.
"I want to reiterate the importance of getting tested for everyone to be safer this holiday season. By getting tested, we will be able to protect our loved ones and everyone around us, as even those who are fully vaccinated can carry the virus and infect the unvaccinated,” he added.
PRC said that as the top testing facility in the country with a testing capacity of 60,000 a day, accounting for more than 20 percent of all COVID-19 tests, the PRC now has fourteen molecular laboratories nationwide since opening its first laboratory in the National Headquarters on April 12, 2020.