GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The arrival of the modular laboratory that will process swab samples to detect the presence of coronavirus in patients has been delayed and will instead arrive on Wednesday, June 3, according to Mayor Ronnel Rivera.
“June 3 pa, delay(ed) ang boat due to engine problem,” the mayor said in a text interview.
He said the laboratory equipment will have an initial daily capacity of 200 tests but can perform up to 600 tests per day once it is “automated.”
Its capacity will also depend on the technical expertise and training of medical technologists who will handle the modular laboratory.
The mayor also revealed that the equipment would be operational within 3 weeks.
“Ang estimate mga end of June,” he said.
The first modular laboratory was expected to arrive on Friday but was delayed due to the reason cited by the mayor.
The mayor also said he expects to have 2 additional laboratories bringing to 3 the crucial medical facilities that have been lacking in the city.
“We are getting one from (Vince) Dizon of the IATF,” Rivera revealed.
The other laboratory is at the Mindanao State University, which has appending application for accreditation.
Dizon and IATF head Carlito Galvez recently visited the city to bring in additional equipment and supplies and to check on the ongoing anti-COVID campaign in the region.
General Santos City is dead last among the cities in the city with at least one positive COVID case with a ratio of 2 cases per million population.
General Santos City however has only 1 confirmed COVID-19 case. The patient has since recovered. The city has a population of over 700,000 (2020 estimate).
On May 30, Mayor Rivera lifted the curfew hours, use of quarantine passes and barangay clustering to practically put the city back into normal operations.
The wearing of mask and social distancing however remain in force.
Region 12 has one operating laboratory capable of detecting COVID-19. It is located at the Cotabato Regional Medical Center in Cotabato City, some 180 kilometers from here.
Meanwhile, South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo said in a press conference today that the modular set it has purchased will undergo testing today.
If it passes the Department of Health (DoH) standard, it could begin processing swab samples as early as tomorrow.
A team from the DoH will conduct validation tests today.
