Marikina City mayor announces new COVID-19 testing center
Published Mar 30, 2020 12:00 am
By Jhon Aldrin Casinas
Marikina City Mayor Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro announced Monday, March 30, that a two-storey building will be used as the new site for the city’s COVID-19 testing center.
This was after the Department of Health (DOH) disapproved Marikina’s proposed testing center, which was initially set up at the sixth floor of the City Health Office.
The new two-storey building that the Marikina City government will use for its COVID-19 testing laboratory. (Photo via Jhon Aldrin Casinas / MANILA BULLETIN)
After an earlier assessment, DOH said the city’s testing facility “needs further enhancement and adhere with the existing standards for biosafety and biosecurity,” and should be transferred to a separate location.
Teodoro said the newly constructed building, located in Barangay Concepcion Uni, is located in a not populated area and accessible by a main thoroughfare. “This is a freestanding structure. It is not located in a populated area and accessible. It is located along a main avenue in Marikina. In terms of location, I believe this is suitable to their requirements,” he said.
“Second, the building doesn't house other offices or clinics. What we have here is only the laboratory. So the medical technologists, pathologists and lab technicians will be the only ones to occupy this,” he added.
The Marikina City government has earlier dedicated the entire sixth floor of the City Health Office for its COVID-19 testing center, complete with an exclusive elevator that goes straight to the laboratory. Aside from the new site, the city government has also dedicated an ambulance for the testing center, which is already on standby at the facility.
The city mayor has also allayed the fears of his constituents and assured that safety measures and biohazard protocols will be strictly followed to ensure the safety of Marikeños. “We have a risk assessment template that we follow and we implement the highest standard as well as strict adherence of the protocols of biohazard measures,” Teodoro said. “Aside from the trained personnel that we have, the layout of the laboratory is in compliance with the biohazard safety,” he added.
Teodoro has pushed for the immediate approval and operation of Marikina’s testing center, noting that the country is already under a public health emergency. The local chief executive said that the facility would address the need for mass testing in order to immediately contain and prevent the further spread of the disease.
Once the testing center starts operations, the neighboring Pasig City, the Province of Rizal, and other nearby areas could benefit from the facility. Likewise, the mayor has also stressed the importance of prioritizing the less fortunate members of society to get tested as soon as possible so they could avail treatment if they have contracted COVID-19.
As of March 30, Teodoro said that Marikina has 21 confirmed cases and four deaths. There were also 41 persons under monitoring (PUMs) and 10 persons under investigation (PUIs) in the city.
The new two-storey building that the Marikina City government will use for its COVID-19 testing laboratory. (Photo via Jhon Aldrin Casinas / MANILA BULLETIN)
After an earlier assessment, DOH said the city’s testing facility “needs further enhancement and adhere with the existing standards for biosafety and biosecurity,” and should be transferred to a separate location.
Teodoro said the newly constructed building, located in Barangay Concepcion Uni, is located in a not populated area and accessible by a main thoroughfare. “This is a freestanding structure. It is not located in a populated area and accessible. It is located along a main avenue in Marikina. In terms of location, I believe this is suitable to their requirements,” he said.
“Second, the building doesn't house other offices or clinics. What we have here is only the laboratory. So the medical technologists, pathologists and lab technicians will be the only ones to occupy this,” he added.
The Marikina City government has earlier dedicated the entire sixth floor of the City Health Office for its COVID-19 testing center, complete with an exclusive elevator that goes straight to the laboratory. Aside from the new site, the city government has also dedicated an ambulance for the testing center, which is already on standby at the facility.
The city mayor has also allayed the fears of his constituents and assured that safety measures and biohazard protocols will be strictly followed to ensure the safety of Marikeños. “We have a risk assessment template that we follow and we implement the highest standard as well as strict adherence of the protocols of biohazard measures,” Teodoro said. “Aside from the trained personnel that we have, the layout of the laboratory is in compliance with the biohazard safety,” he added.
Teodoro has pushed for the immediate approval and operation of Marikina’s testing center, noting that the country is already under a public health emergency. The local chief executive said that the facility would address the need for mass testing in order to immediately contain and prevent the further spread of the disease.
Once the testing center starts operations, the neighboring Pasig City, the Province of Rizal, and other nearby areas could benefit from the facility. Likewise, the mayor has also stressed the importance of prioritizing the less fortunate members of society to get tested as soon as possible so they could avail treatment if they have contracted COVID-19.
As of March 30, Teodoro said that Marikina has 21 confirmed cases and four deaths. There were also 41 persons under monitoring (PUMs) and 10 persons under investigation (PUIs) in the city.