PGC in Visayas, Mindanao may start sequencing in January 2022 — DOH

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Genome Center (PGC) in the Visayas and Mindanao may start sequencing COVID-19 samples in January to detect variants of concern, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday.

According to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, health workers assigned at the two PGC satellite offices are currently undergoing capacity building for genome sequencing processes. She said they are awaiting additional equipment for the two laboratories.

“According to Dr. Cynthia Saloma, darating within these next two weeks. Iseset-up ‘yan, magkakaroon ng mga practice runs so tinitingnan namin. Noong nagmeeting kami noong isang araw, baka first week of January na po tayo makapag-umpisa sa ating satellite laboratories ng PGC sa Visayas and Mindanao,” she told an online media briefing.

(According to Dr. Cynthia Saloma, additional equipment will arrive within the next two weeks. These will be set up and we will do practice runs. When we held a meeting, we discussed that we may operate the satellite laboratories of the PGC in Visayas and Mindanao by the first week of January.)

Saloma is the executive director of PGC.

The satellite offices of PGC will enable easier access for regions in the Visayas and Mindanao for genome sequencing. In the past, the DOH said some regions encountered transportation issues in submitting samples to the PGC facility in Metro Manila.

The government earlier approved a P295.7 million budget for the expansion of the PGC in Visayas and Mindanao.