PRC breaches 3 million mark in COVID-19 tests conducted

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has conducted over 3 million swab and saliva RT-PCR COVID-19 tests nationwide, an official said.

As of Sunday, PRC chairman and Sen. Richard Gordon said 3,010,432 tests have been conducted in the PRC’s 13 biomolecular laboratories nationwide, accounting for about 24 percent of the country’s nationwide output and 40 percent of the total tests conducted during the recent caseload surge.

“Our Red Cross staff and volunteers detect the virus, take care of the COVID-19 positive individuals in isolation and the families they would leave behind, and treat those who need immediate care in our field hospitals,” Gordon stated.

The PRC’s testing sites are located in Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Negros Occidental, Batangas, Isabela, Passi, Port Area in Manila, Surigao del Norte and its headquarters in Mandaluyong City, among others.

Department of Health (DOH) data showed that at least 13,043,749 cumulative samples have been tested as of Sunday.

Meanwhile, the PRC said it was seeking accreditation for its vaccination centers from the DOH, “as well as training volunteer doctors, nurses and staff to administer the vaccines to the general public.”

The humanitarian organization said it was also mobilizing its 103 chapters nationwide to augment the national government’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

“The country’s battle against COVID-19 is far from over, and the Red Cross will continue to improve and innovate to reinforce our defense against the virus,” Gordon said.