The new molecular laboratory of Mauban Municipal Health Office in Brgy. Bagong Bayan, Mauban, Quezon Province. /Photo Courtesy of Quezon Public Information Office Facebook Page
LUCENA CITY––A new new molecular diagnostic laboratory, the first local government-owned COVID-19 testing center in Quezon province, opened Tuesday, Aug. 31, in Mauban town.
Molecular laboratories are important in identifying infectious diseases rapidly, Dr. Paula Paz Sydiongco, assistant regional director of the Department of Health (DOH) in Calabarzon, said in a statement.
The facility could also test other pathogens to help doctors identify infections at early stages, she added.
The local government, assisted by the DOH and the provincial government, established the Mauban Municipal Health Office Molecular Laboratory, located in Barangay Bagong Bayan at the town center.
Sydiongco, Quezon Gov. Danilo Suarez, Mauban Mayor Marita Llamas, and local government officials, led the inauguration.
The laboratory is the biggest testing facility in the region, Sydiongco said. The facility has an administrative office, supply room, stock room, and swabbing area.
The facility can process 180 to 200 specimens per day.
The laboratory has a biosafety level 2 certification and complies with the regulation set forth by the government.
The laboratory has the equipment to ensure the integrity of test results and the safety of staff members.
Sydiongco assured the public that DOH-Calabarzon would continue to extend support to the facility by providing the necessary manpower to handle and manage the laboratory.
In May last year, the provincial government, Lucena City government, and Lucena United Doctors Hospital and Medical Center opened the first molecular diagnostic laboratory in the provincial capital.