By Jel Santos
As the opening of the third Philippine Red Cross (PRC) molecular laboratory nears, the humanitarian organization is eyeing to conduct 12, 000 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) tests per day in the National Capital Region (NCR).
Philippine Red Cross Chairman Sen. Richard Gordon (PRC / FACEBOOK / MANILA BULLETIN)
PRC's third COVID-19 testing center is being set up at the former national headquarters of Red Cross in Port Area, Manila, PRC Chairman Richard Gordon said.
Four sets of testing machines were placed in the third COVID-19 test facility.
It is targeted to be operational this week, PRC said.
The two other COVID-19 testing facilities of the organization are located in Mandaluyong City.
The first facility is at its national headquarters in Mandaluyong City, while the second one is at the PRC’s Logistics Center located just behind its national headquarters.
Gordon said testing people is very potent in defeating COVID-19, stressing that people with the disease should be isolated and given appropriate treatment.
“The focus is we cannot beat this unless we unmask the invisible enemy, and we can only do that by testing. Then you can separate them, isolate them, and you start healing people. The focus must be victory over the virus,” the PRC chairman said.
On April 28, the PRC chairman inspected the third molecular laboratory at the second floor of PRC’s Hemodialysis Center to make sure that it is ready to operate on its target opening day.
The PRC recently revealed that it is eyeing to open 20 more molecular laboratories throughout the country.