ILOILO City – The city government temporarily stopped swabbing people at the Diamond Jubilee Hall for coronavirus disease 2019 (COV ID-19) testing.
“We have no storage (for the extracted specimens) because of the ongoing disinfection at the WVMC (Western Visayas Medical Center),” Mayor Jerry Treñas said.
As of yesterday, two more of WVMC medical technologists in Mandurriao district contracted COVID-19, bringing the total number to six.
These infections forced WVMC to shut down its integrated laboratory and sub-national laboratory.
“I am requesting for everyone’s understanding on this matter. We need to make sure our frontliners are safe before continuing with operations,” Treñas said.
He offered to WVMC the services of the city government’s trained medical technologists.
The WVMC management, meanwhile, said its laboratories would reopen after the decontamination process but gave no specific date.
As to the COVID-19-positive medical technologists, Department of Health Region 6 spokesperson Dr. Jocelyn Te said contact tracing was immediately launched.
DOH-6 also issued an advisory to all provincial, city and other Disease Reporting Units in Panay and Guimaras islands that WVMC will not be receiving specimen for testing starting Aug. 12 until further notice.
Nevertheless, DOH-6 requested all local government units of Panay and Guimaras to observe the following:
* close coordination with the DOH Regional Epidemiological Surveillance Unit regarding receipt of specimen from its Disease Reporting Units
* prioritization of specimen collection for all individuals who are at risk of contracting COVID-19 infection ; this includes suspect cases, individuals with relevant history of travel and exposure, and health care workers with possible exposure.
DOH-6 said it is constantly coordinating with WVMC and other accredited COVID-19 molecular laboratories in Western Visayas to facilitate timely processing and releasing of results.
The region has five other laboratories licensed to conduct reverse transcription – polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing for COVID-19. These were the following:
* Qualimed Hospital molecular laboratory in Iloilo City
* Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital molecular laboratory in Silay City, Negros Occidental
* Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital molecular laboratory in Bacolod City
* Bacolod Queen of Mercy Hospital – Molecular Laboratory
* The Doctors Hospital, Inc. – Molecular Laboratory in Bacolod City
In a related development, Treñas required those who were swabbed to undergo strict quarantine.
He warned that the violators would be punished.
“Let us follow the protocol to secure the safety of the people around us,” Treñas said./PN
