MANILA - The Philippines received some 700 COVID-19 tests kits from South Korea that will help augment the country’s testing capacity, the Department of Health (DOH) said Saturday.

“The provision of these test kits will be instrumental in the country's war against COVID-19. I am thankful to the Republic of Korea for its unending support. Only through international solidarity and cooperation like this will we be able to succeed against this global enemy,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in a statement.

The Q-Sens 2019-nCoV Detection Kits, which can yield a total of 35,000 tests, are valued at P25 million, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a separate statement.

Apart from the donation, the South Korean government has also shared its know-how in flattening the curve by hosting various web seminars for Philippine officials and experts, it added.

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The DFA said the Q-Sens test kits were compatible with local COVID-19 testing systems.

They will be delivered to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), the Philippines' main reference laboratory for COVID-19 testing, and other sub-national laboratories.

As of Saturday, the Philippine government has tested more than 72,000 individuals, of whom 7,294 have contracted COVID-19.

The total figure includes 494 people who succumbed to the disease while 792 have recovered.

• Philippines reports 102 new coronavirus cases, total 7,294