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Manila city gov't to buy another COVID-19 testing machine

Philippines

Manila city gov't to buy another COVID-19 testing machine

By Minka Klaudia Tiangco

The Manila city government is set to buy another coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) serology testing machine to boost its mass testing efforts.

Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso made the announcement in a Facebook live broadcast Monday (July 13).

(ALI VICOY / MANILA BULLETIN)

The city government now has a total of four COVID-19 serology testing machines. These have a combined capacity of 89,600 tests a month.

The machines, which cost P6 million each, were made by American healthcare firm Abbott. They collect blood samples and have an accuracy rate of 99.6 percent. However, those who test positive for the disease must still undergo confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.

The serology testing machines can also help detect other infectious diseases including hepatitis, as well as cancer and thyroid diseases, among others.

The newest machine will be installed at Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital while the first three were distributed to Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center, Ospital ng Sampaloc, and Ospital ng Maynila. The new machine will first be used on frontline health workers, Domagoso earlier said.

The Manila mayor said they are the first local government unit to acquire such devices to use in their fight against COVID-19.

Before the serology testing machines arrived, the city government could conduct around 350 PCR tests per day, aided by the newly-opened COVID-19 testing laboratory at Sta. Ana Hospital.

As of Monday noon, the city government has already performed a total of 16,481 PCR tests and 164,900 rapid tests.

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