Ilocos Norte’s molecular lab suspends operation for disinfection

Health workers facilitate the collection of specimens in Badoc town, Ilocos Norte. These specimens are forwarded to the province’s sole molecular laboratory in Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center for RT-PCR testing. (Photo courtesy of Ilocos Norte provincial government)

LAOAG CITY—Ilocos Norte’s sole molecular laboratory located in the state-run Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center suspended its operation on Wednesday, June 23, for disinfection.

In an advisory posted on Facebook, laboratory officials said it would not accept specimens for reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction testing for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to pave the way for immediate decontamination and calibration of its laboratory equipment.

This is done to ensure the safety of the laboratory staff and the quality of the swab test results, the advisory added.

The laboratory will resume normal operations on June 24, further advising that there will be delays in the releasing of samples for specimens received by the hospital on June 21 and 22.

After the specimens are received by the laboratory, it usually takes 24 to 48 hours to process and release the swab test results.

LZB