MANILA - Fearful of having the dreaded A (H1N1) virus, more people are submitting themselves to swab tests, as the Department of Health (DOH) increased the number of testing laboratories and hospitals that could accept patients with the illness.

The DOH has increased the number of laboratories where people could undergo swab tests to determine if they are positive of the virus, and has ordered secondary and tertiary hospitals to accept H1N1 patients.

The DOH now has 70 hospitals accredited to handle H1N1 cases, and said they will assure these facilities will have the capability to handle such cases.

The health department also said those who test positive of the virus are admitted to the accredited hospitals for free.

Five hospitals were initially required to accept H1N1 patients - the San Lazaro Hospital, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, and Lung Center of the Philippines in the Luzon, the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in the Visayas, and the Davao Medical Center in Mindanao.

The health department said the accredited hospitals will isolate H1N1 patients from the rest of the hospital's patient population.

Free tests, but...

The DOH also said that swab tests in accredited laboratories are free if the patient passes any of these criteria:

* The patient has flu symptoms such as fever, coughs and colds, and sore throat, and that the patient came into contact with a person known to carry the virus.
* The patient has an influenza-like illness and came into contact with an animal known to have H1N1.
* The patient has an influenza-like illness and has a history of traveling to a country with reported H1N1 cases.

People who would like to undergo the swab test will first be screened for these. Once they pass these criteria they will undergo the swab test.

However, if a person who does not fall under any of these criteria and still wants to undergo a swab test (i.e. someone who is not sick), they will be required to pay for the test.

Dr. Jasper Ramos of the Lung Center's pulmonary department advised those who are not sick not to submit themselves to the test anymore, as it would only entail a waste of money.

The Lung Center in Quezon City is now reporting an average of 50 people undergoing swab tests daily, up from an average of 20 people. With reports from Jing Castañeda, Sol Aragones, and Ron Gagalac, ABS-CBN News