Robredo leads groundbreaking of Naga City COVID-19 testing lab

Vice President Leni Robredo led the groundbreaking of the Naga City RT-PCR Molecular Laboratory on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. OVP

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday led the groundbreaking of an RT-PCR Molecular Laboratory in Naga City, Camarines Sur.

The construction of the RT-PCR Molecular Laboratory in Naga City was to speed up testing capabilities in the Bicol Region.

According to the Office of the Vice President (OVP), the project was partly funded by the said office, allocating P5 million for the construction of the laboratory which will be able to process COVID-19 swab test samples. An RT-PCR test is considered the gold standard for coronavirus testing.

As of now, OVP said that Naga City — Robredo’s hometown — can only submit a limited amount of swab samples because the current laboratory also caters to other local government units in the vicinity.

“The Office of the Vice President allocated P5 million to help in the establishment of the laboratory, which seeks to speed up the testing of suspected COVID-19 cases in the city, as well as the identification, isolation, and treatment of confirmed cases,” OVP said in a statement.

“Currently, the local government of Naga can only submit a limited number of swab samples to the local RT-PCR laboratory, which also caters to other LGUs,” it added.

Vice President Leni Robredo led the groundbreaking of the Naga City RT-PCR Molecular Laboratory on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. OVP

Robredo’s office said this is still a part of their efforts to help communities in beating the pandemic.

“This is part of the OVP’s COVID-related initiatives, which has included, over the past months, various assistance for frontliners and communities,” OVP noted.

“To support testing efforts, the office previously donated test kits to several major hospitals in Metro Manila, as well as to the local governments of Iloilo Province, Iloilo City, Lanao del Sur, and Muntinlupa City,” it said.

Vice President Leni Robredo led the groundbreaking of the Naga City RT-PCR Molecular Laboratory on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. OVP

As early as March, Robredo has advocated for community testing or mass testing to ensure that the transmissions would not reach densely-populated areas, to combat the health crisis more effectively

Robredo also said that testing could cut virus transmissions because early detection could help stop infections in a household.

READ: Robredo: Start community COVID-19 testing now

KGA