According to the Secretary of State for Health, António Lacerda Sales, who revealed the plan at a press conference in Lisbon, the investment is about 8.4 million euros.

The objective of expanding laboratory capacity to double the testing capacity to about 22,000 tests per day, he said, referring that currently 10,000 tests are carried out per day at the National Health Service (SNS).

"In Alentejo and the Algarve, for example, the forecast is for an increase in testing capacity of more than 400%", he stated.