PRC inaugurates largest COVID-19 testing lab in Vis-Min

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) inaugurated its molecular laboratory in Mandaue City, Cebu, on July 16, 2020.

This facility is the largest in the Visayas and Mindanao for COVID-19 testing, with the capacity to process up to 4,000 RT-PCR tests daily.

Senator Richard Gordon, PRC chairman, stated that the laboratory was primarily funded by Security Bank, Nature's Spring, and Geo Transport & Construction.

The new laboratory is equipped with four RT-PCR machines and aims to expedite test results, ideally within 48 hours, to help manage backlogs.

The establishment of this laboratory was prompted by the spike in COVID-19 cases in Cebu City, according to Secretary Vivencio Dizon, deputy chief implementer of the national government's IATF.

The facility's capacity far exceeds that of other local labs, such as the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center which can process 525 tests daily, and the Department of Health Central Visayas, which handles 828 samples.