MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) sees a surge in the number of cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the coming days as over 30 laboratories in the country are still yet to submit their respective cases bulletin to the agency.
The DOH said 34 out of the 115 licensed testing laboratories have delayed results in their COVID-19 tests.
“This means there are confirmed cases per day that have not been reported yet officially and will come out this week,” said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
“We may have an irregularly high number of cases in the coming days as cases from these laboratories get reported. We will ensure to highlight which of these cases are late reports,” she added.
The DOH points at incomplete information such as patients’ address and contact number as the cause of the delays in submitting their case bulletins.
Such information is vital to the contract tracing efforts of the government.
On September 1, the DOH required the testing laboratories to encode all information of their patients because the agency’s COVID-19 Data Repository System does not accept incomplete information.
“The main factor was the change in or the additional two variables–the complete address and the phone numbers that were stated to be mandatory,” Vergeire said.
“Hindi makakapasok or makaka-upload sa system noong kanilang submission if hindi kumpleto ang kanilang fields doon sa kanilang CIFs na isa-submit sa atin [They will not be able to enter or upload their submission into our system if the fields in the CIFs are incomplete],” she stressed.
Nonetheless, the official confirmed that the results have been gradually coming in from the concerned laboratories since Tuesday (September 8).
Once the results from these laboratories are submitted, expect an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the DOH’s overall tally.
Should these laboratories still fail to submit their reports next week, Vergeire said the DOH will push to sanction them.
34 Labs failed to submit their data to the COVID-19 Data Repository System
1. AL Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory
2. Amosup Seamen’s Hospital
3. Bohol Containerized PCR Laboratory
4. Butuan Medical Center
5. Cagayan Valley CHD TB Reference Laboratory
6. Calamba Medical Center
7. Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital
8. Dagupan Doctors Villaflor Memorial Hospital
9. Daniel O. Mercado Medical Center
10. Detoxicare Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory
11. Dr. Arturo P. Pingoy Medical Center
12. Fe Del Mundo Medical Center
13. Green City Medical Center
14. Hi-Precision Diagnostics QC
15. Ilocos Training Regional Medical Center (GX)
16. Marikina Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory
17. Marilao Medical and Diagnostic Clinic
18. NKTI – GX
19. Philippine Airport Diagnostic Laboratory
20. Philippine Heart Center
21. Philippine Red Cross
22. Philippine Red Cross – Clark Mol Lab (PAMPANGA)
23. Philippine Red Cross – Logistics and Training- SUBIC, ZAMBALES
24. Philippine Red Cross – Molecular Biology Laboratory
25. Philippine Red Cross – PLMC Laboratory
26. Philippine Red Cross – Port Area
27. Qualimed Hospital – San Jose del Monte
28. Qualimed Hospital Sta. Rosa
29. Safeguard DNA Diagnostics
30. San Lazaro Hospital
31. San Miguel Foundation Testing Laboratory
32. The Doctors Hospital, Inc.
33. Tondo Medical Center
34. University of Perpetual Help System Dalta
SOURCE: DOH
–MNP (with reports from Aiko Miguel)
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