CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – As the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) continues to contribute to the country’s fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), its Cagayan de Oro - Misamis Oriental Chapter (CDO-MisOr) said Thursday it has processed a total of 46,333 tests for Covid-19 in Northern Mindanao since September 2020.
In an interview, Arabella Radaza, PRC chapter focal person, said of the 46,333 tests, 31,752 were swab or reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests while 14,581 were saliva tests.
The Covid-19 tests were processed at the PRC chapter’s molecular laboratory (ML) that was put up on Sept. 19, 2020. Saliva testing, though, started on Feb. 5, 2021.
Radaza said since the laboratory started its operations last year, individual swab or saliva test results processed by all molecular laboratories are automatically sent through email to the Department of Health (DOH) central office and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
“(The) PRC-CDO ML is routinely forwarding all results (of Region 10 residents) to DOH CHDNM (Center for Health and Development in Northern Mindanao) and CHO (City Health Office for CDO residents) once the daily testing is done," she said.
Results of other areas, she added, are also forwarded to their respective DOH regional offices.
Saliva samples tested by the PRC are retroactively included in daily Covid-19 figures by provincial and local government health units, based on a memorandum issued by DOH 10 (Northern Mindanao) Director Jose Llacuna Jr. on June 19.
The PRC started conducting Covid-19 swab tests in April 2020, processing an average of 9,000 samples per day nationwide.
“The Philippine Red Cross remains committed to saving lives and alleviating human suffering. I thank all the researchers, medical technologists, staff, and volunteers who continue to hold our first line of defense against our unseen yet unforgiving enemy,” PRC chairman and CEO, Senator Richard Gordon, said in an earlier report.
Both swab and saliva RT-PCR tests are available for booking at the PRC official website, https://book.redcross.org.ph/. The PRC Helpline 1158 is also operational 24/7 to address concerns related to Covid-19. (PNA)
