The country's premier humanitarian organization is nearing the four million-mark milestone when it comes to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing.
“This is what I always tell the Red Cross staff and volunteers: 'Predict, Plan, Prepare, and Practice',” said PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Senator Richard Gordon said in a statement on Wednesday, Aug. 18.
More than 16 months after the PRC opened its first molecular laboratory to test for COVID-19, Gordon said that it has been increasing its “testing capacity by establishing more molecular laboratories nationwide.”
As of Aug. 17, PRC has tested more than 3,819,021 individuals which makes up about a quarter of the tests done nationwide.
It can test as many as 46,000 individuals daily which will further increase by 12,000 tests as PRC now has new RT-PCR machines which will expand the national COVID-19 testing capacity.
Testing for COVID-19 is vital
With the surge in COVID-19 cases in the country, Gordon once again emphasized the importance of testing.
“We want to unmask the unseen enemy. The more molecular laboratories and saliva collection sites we establish; the more people we will be able test nationwide,” Gordon said.
“Once we achieve this, we will be able to save more lives as we will be able to determine who is positive for COVID-19; we will be able to isolate them and treat them right away to prevent the virus from further spreading, we will be able to save more families, and more communities,” he added.
To date, PRC remains the top test facility in the country with 14 COVID-19 testing facilities strategically located around Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Under Gordon's leadership, the PRC will soon be opening more molecular laboratories specifically in Luzon and Mindanao.
Bacolod molecular laboratory anniversary
Meanwhile, PRC also celebrated the first anniversary of the Bacolod Chapter Molecular Laboratory.
The molecular laboratory in the Bacolod chapter is one of the 14 laboratories nationwide by PRC. It has the capacity to test 4,000 specimens a day.
The molecular lab can process up to 2,000 tests a day to further scale up the country’s capacity in its fight against the coronavirus in the Western Visayas region.
Gordon once again underscored the importance of testing especially with the spread of the Delta variant. “We test to save lives,” he said. “I urge everyone to regularly test and get vaccinated,” he added.
Aside from ramping up Bacolod's COVID-19 testing, PRC also established a vaccine center in Gaisano mall. The vaccination site, which can inoculate a maximum of 300 people a day, started vaccinating on Aug. 9.