ILOILO CITY –– This city on Friday opened its third COVID-19 testing center that is expected to hasten the processing of specimens and release of results amid the continued increase in cases.
The testing center of the Metro Iloilo Hospital and Medical Center Inc. (MIHMCI) in Jaro District has a drive-through swabbing area and tests could be booked online.
“We have three teams of more than 40 personnel and we target the release of results within 15 hours,” Dr. Ray Alindong, MIHMCI administrator, told the INQUIRER.
Results of tests conducted between 7 a.m to 12 p.m. will be released from 8 p.m. on the same day, while those between 2 to 4 p.m. will be out the next day.
The testing laboratory, the ninth in Western Visayas, can process more than 270 specimens daily.
Alindong said they hope to increase testing and hasten the release of results to prevent a backlog due to the continued arrival of returning overseas Filipino workers and residents from Manila and other areas.
The delay in the release of test results in the past few months has resulted in prolonged quarantine measures and a shortage of quarantine facilities.
The MIHMCI testing center is supported Philippine Genome Center- Visayas based at the University of the Philippines Visayas and other schools in Iloilo that conducted workshops and training for the laboratory staff.
The Iloilo City government is also constructing its COVID-19 laboratory and 1,000-bed isolation facility set to be completed within the next few months.
The two-story building with an initial budget of P15 million is being put up on a government lot in Molo District and will include the laboratory and dormitory for medical technologists. Its total floor space will be 720 square meters.
The building will also have its kitchen and pantry facilities.
“While we open the economy, we must be ready for more infected persons,” Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said.