Tuesday, 28 April 2020 04:46

Moreno vows to expedite purchase of COVID-19 testing machines

Written by CDO COVID 19 Response Team

Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno has assured the public that the local government is doing its best to expedite the purchase of two COVID-19 testing machines.

 

"We are fast-tracking the testing [equipment] and hopefully, in the next few weeks, they will be installed,” Moreno said in a press briefing at the City Hall.

 

“We cannot expect that by the moment the machines will arrive, the problem with testing will be solved [right away]; it is still a long way to go,” he added.

 

The Department of Health - Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (DOH-RITM) will also provide one COVID-19 testing equipment to the city; making the total number of testing machines three for CDO.

 

Moreno warned that while the city is waiting for the equipment’s arrival and installation, Kagay-anons must continue to observe social distancing, regular hand-washing, and staying at home to curb the spread of the virus.

Dr. Ian Gonzales, head of the Infectious Diseases Cluster of DOH Northern Mindanao, also updated the public on the ongoing renovation of the Tuberculosis Reference Center in Barangay Carmen to be established as the local COVID-19 testing center.

 

"With the assistance from the city government, we are getting our laboratory at the regional office ready to do the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test,” Gonzales said. “This will eventually give us an accurate result and a bigger picture of the epidemic.”


The local health officials are optimistic that the local testing center can accommodate patients not just from Region 10, but also from the CARAGA and Zamboanga Peninsula areas.

The Tuberculosis Reference Center and the Northern Mindanao Medical Center’s (NMMC) laboratory are now on Stage 3 of the accreditation process for COVID-19 testing capability, including the training of medical personnel in handling real-time PCR and GeneXpert tests.