PRO-7’s COVID-19 lab seen to open next week
CEBU, Philippines — Police Regional Office in Central Visayas’ (PRO-7) molecular diagnostics laboratory for COVID-19 is expected to start operations next week.
Built in Camp Sotero Cabahug where the headquarters of Cebu City Police Office is located, PRO-7 chief Ronnie Montejo said the laboratory is ready.
“The lab is ready. But we are just waiting for the arrival of some equipment, including generator set. Kun maabot na sila, operational na,” he said.
The lab will accommodate real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests for police and their dependents. The P13-million facility, which will be supervised by the Department of Health, houses four swab booths and dedicated isolation rooms.
Montejo said though PRO-7 might accommodate other frontliners and the public.
Aside from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, Montejo said, the lab is also capable of detecting the new coronavirus variant.
He said the samples of COVID patients here will no longer be sent to the Philippine Genome Center of the University of Philippines in Manila for genetic sequencing to determine if UK-COVID has already reached the region.
“Ingon sa medtech nato, apil na ang new variant sa COVID. Dili na kinahanglan nga dal-on sa center kay ma-detect naman diri,” he said. — KQD (FREEMAN)
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