Another molecular lab up soon in Valladolid

By Dolly Yasa

 

BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz said a state-of-the art COVID-19 molecular laboratory is being constructed at the Valladolid District Hospital.

Diaz said the laboratory will only use a minimum number of personnel as most of the work will be “robotic”.

Exposure to the virus within the laboratory workers will be more or less eliminated, he added.

Diaz said there are some delays in the construction as some machines have yet to arrive.

“But these are expected to arrive in the next few days,” Diaz added.

He further said that although it would be a bit more expensive once it becomes operational, “it would be able to process the swab samples much faster.”

Diaz estimated the testing capacity of the new facility at around 1,000 specimens daily.

It will serve not just Negros Occidental, but neighboring Negros Oriental as well.

Presently, there are five COVID-19 testing centers in Negros Occidental in Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City, Bacolod Doctor’s Hospital, Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, Bacolod Queen of Mercy Hospital, and the Philippine Red Cross-Negros Occidental.