Accredited PRC Batangas lab to run 4,000 COVID-19 tests per day

A Philippine Red Cross molecular laboratory in Batangas that can tun 4,000 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) tests per day was given accreditation as a testing center.

Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon said that this increased the organization's testing capacity to a total of 32,000 tests daily.

“With testing being the key to getting our economy going again, the accreditation of our laboratory in Batangas is a very welcome development as it would ensure that we can test more people," Gordon said in a statement.

"[Through] testing we can prevent the further spread of the virus thru testing because we will be able to separate the infected people from those who are not infected so they can’t transmit the virus. But more than that, people who are already tested can already go back to his or her job,” he added

The laboratory was equipped with two automated ribonucleic acid extraction machines or Natch and four RT-polymerase chain reaction machines.

“Once our laboratory in Batangas City is up and running, we will be able to test 32,000 people in a day. The more people we test, the faster we will ensure victory over COVID,” Gordon said.

He also reiterated his call for COVID-19 testing to be conducted in different economic zones in the country.

"Ang tao, walang pambili dahil walang trabaho kaya binigyan ng pera ng gobyerno. Pero hindi pwedeng habambuhay bibigyan ng gobyerno ng pera. Kaya dapat makapagtrabaho na ulit. Ang sinasabi ko, para makapagtrabaho na, dapat kayo ay magpa-test,” Gordon said.

The Philippines has reported a total of 41,830 COVID-19 cases with 11,453 recoveries and 1,290 fatalities. — DVM, GMA News