Lab stops receiving samples to address 2,500 backlogs

The Western Visayas Medical Center Sub-National Laboratory (WVMC-SNL) in Mandurriao, Iloilo City has temporarily stopped receiving swab samples for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing so it can process the almost 2,500 backlogs.

According to Dr. Stephanie Abello, chief pathologist of the WVMC-SNL, the backlogs include specimens accumulated from June 29 to July 14, 2020.

Abello said the number of specimens they received is beyond their testing capacity.

“WVMC is not receiving samples for now so that we can process the 2,500 total backlogs,” she said in a press conference on Wednesday.

From June 29 to July 2, Abello said WVMC-SNL received 9,520 specimens.

The highest backlog reached 5,196 samples, but the laboratory managed to reduce it to 4,200 and now to 2,500 after it temporarily stopped receiving samples since July 14.

Abello said some healthcare personnel of WVMC also contracted the disease due to the recent surge in confirmed COVID-19 cases involving locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and repatriated Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

Testing speed is vital in curbing the spread of COVID-19 as the earlier the results are released, the faster authorities can trace persons who had contact with infected individuals.

Testing is also the anchor of the national government’s approach in fighting the pandemic – Test, Trace, Treat or T3.

The limited manpower also resulted in the delay in the processing of the samples.

To hasten the COVID-19 testing in Western Visayas, the Department of Health Region 6 (DOH-6) said they will reroute the specimens sent to WVMC-SNL to other laboratories in the region.

All specimens received from July 14 to July 17, 2020 by the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU) shall be rerouted to Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital-Molecular Laboratory (CLMMRH-ML) for real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing, Dr. Marlyn Convocar regional director of DOH-6 said in a statement on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital-Molecular Laboratory (TLJPH-ML) in Negros Occidental shall prioritize specimens from the province of Negros Occidental and Bacolod City.

Confirmatory RT PCR testing for all returning OFWs shall be performed at the Qualimed Molecular Laboratory in Iloilo City, according to a memorandum from the Overseas Workers Welfar Administration (OWWA).

Abello said they are also waiting for the automated RNA extraction machine that will considerably reduce the processing of time of COVID-19 testing in WVMC-SNL.

Three RT-PCR machines in WVMC-SNL are available and functional but these cannot be used since the testing kits are not compatible with the machines, she added.

“We already requested for additional grant of the test kits so that we can use and maximize all the other machines,” Abello said.

Region 6 now has four operational COVID-19 laboratories – WVMC-SNL and Qualimed Molecular Laboratory in Iloilo City, TLJPH-ML in Negros Occidental and CLMMRH-ML in Bacolod City.

As of July 13, all the four laboratories (except for Corazon Locsin Memorial Hospital) have conducted more than 47,000 tests belonging to more than 42,000 individuals.

Average samples tested in Western Visayas ranged from 300 to 800 per day, with a turn-around time of three to ten days and a positivity rate of 1.5 percent. (ERS)