Philippines coronavirus testing to be stepped up soon: WHO

Philippines is set to boost its capacity to test more patients for the novel coronavirus over the next few days.

That's according to a World Health Organisation official, who explained that the current death toll and confirmed cases reflects the need for more testing.

"With respect to the high proportion of deaths in the Philippines, that's essentially because of the way Philippines has chosen to test," WHO technical advisor Matthew Griffith told a press conference.

"We expect the testing will increase substantially in the coming days."

So far, the country has recorded 78 deaths, with 1,546 reported infections, and testing restricted to only the most severe cases.