MANILA - The United States has approved additional assistance of P269 million for the Philippines’ COVID-19 response, its embassy in Manila said Wednesday.

This will help the Philippine government's laboratory and specimen-transport systems and intensify case-finding and disease surveillance, the US embassy said in a statement.

"The funding also will assist Filipino and international technical experts in risk communication, infection prevention and control efforts, handwashing and hygiene promotion, and community-level preparedness and response," it added.

The newest tranche brings total aid from the US to P470 million. It earlier committed P203 million to help the Philippines prepare laboratory systems and donated 1,300 beds to medical facilities.

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The embassy said the US, through its Agency for International Development (USAID), has so far boosted the Philippines' testing capacity and intensified its infection control efforts.

The USAID has also assisted the Department of Health to develop and launch a nationwide commodity and logistics tracking tool that strengthened the Philippines' supply chain management, according to the embassy.

"USAID is expanding community access to water, sanitation, hygiene services, and commodities to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19," it added.

The Philippines as of Tuesday confirmed 437 deaths and 654 recoveries out of its total 6,599 cases of the novel coronavirus.

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