DAVAO CITY, Davao del Sur, Philippines — Testing samples from persons suspected of having the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) will now be easier for those in Mindanao after a laboratory here was given the green light to do the tests.
Mayor Sara Duterte confirmed on Saturday that the molecular diagnostic laboratory at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) was certified by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) as a subnational laboratory of the Department of Health (DOH).
SPMC chief Dr. Leopoldo Vega said the laboratory went through a rigorous process of quality testing that required the hospital to test sets of samples and send the same specimen to RITM and have the result from both laboratories checked for compatibility; and manned by highly competent medical technologists.
“These are not ordinary medical technologists because they are trained in molecular biology. They have been trained even before COVID-19. Now they have to retrain themselves and be familiar with the properties of COVID-19,” Vega said.
Vega said the laboratory was capable of running a batch of 30 patients within eight hours with two batches every day. If fully operational with sufficient test kits, the SPMC would be able to test 60 specimens on a daily basis which would lessen the waiting time compared to that of tests being done at the RITM. Swab samples from patients here had to be taken to the RITM in Metro Manila via a military aircraft, in the absence of commercial flights.
Buried in 12 hours
So far, some 25 persons under investigation (PUIs) in Mindanao have died while awaiting their test results from the RITM, which is also burdened with samples from the rest of the country. The waiting time is five to 10 days.
Of the 25, two eventually tested positive for the COVID-19 infection.
Although not yet confirmed to be COVID-19 cases, many of the dead PUIs were buried within 12 hours from death, in accordance to the DOH protocols for patients suffering from infectious diseases.
But not all families adhere to DOH edicts, as in the case of a PUI from Sultan Kudarat province who died in a Tacurong City hospital on March 14. The family had their kin embalmed for a seven-day wake and buried on March 21. The result confirming the patient’s COVID-19 infection came out on March 25.
Awaiting tests
Hundreds of PUIs across Mindanao who are confined in hospitals for severe symptoms are also awaiting their test results. As of March 27, there are already over 1,000 PUIs in Mindanao.
Outside of Metro Manila, reports from the different health authorities in the provinces have reported a total of 12,567 PUIs across the country and 455,741 persons under monitoring as of Sunday. The same reports showed that at least 295 persons have been confirmed to be positive of COVID-19, 48 of whom have died, with only eight persons reported to have recovered.
—WITH REPORTS FROM EDWIN FERNANDEZ, MARIA ADELAIDA CALAYAG, VINCENT CABREZA, JOANNA ROSE AGLIBOT AND ARMAND GALANG INQ