BREAKING: DOH finally green lights Marikina City’s COVID-19 testing center

ALL SET FOR THE OPENING Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro tours media around the city’s COVID-19 testing facility whose opening has been delayed by the lack of the health department’s seal of approval. INQUIRER FILE/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) has finally given its go signal to Marikina City’s COVID-19 testing facility, the local government announced Thursday.

“Magkausap kami ni (Health Secretary Francisco) Duque (III) two hours ago at binigay na sa atin ang accreditation ng DOH,” Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro told dzBB in an interview.

(I had a talk with Sec. Duque two hours ago and the DOH accreditation is already given to us.)

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire also confirmed the development in a Viber message to reporters.

Teodoro said they are eyeing to open the testing center on Friday morning as they still have to complete the list of individuals who shall be prioritized for the testing.

“Maaring bukas nang umaga. Ngayong gabi, tinatapos na namin ‘yung priority nung listahan namin. Uunahin natin ‘yung mga may  (COVID-19) symptoms,” he said when asked when will the laboratory be opened for mass testing.

(It may open tomorrow morning. For tonight, we are still finishing our list of priorities for testing. We will prioritize those with COVID-19 symptoms.)

To date, Marikina City has 109 confirmed COVID-19 cases including 22 patients who recovered and 18 deaths.

Marikina City’s molecular laboratory is located along Bayan-Bayanan Avenue in Barangay Concepcion Uno.

The new testing center has a floor area of 160 square meters and has no other offices sharing the building.

The city government earlier planned to establish a testing site on the sixth floor of Marikina City Health Office but DOH rejected the proposal because it did not pass biosafety standards for molecular laboratories that process COVID-19 test samples.

KGA