ENCOURAGING development from private and government initiatives are taking place in fight against coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
The battle goes on against Covid-19 as many are doing their share in helping address the rising Covid-19 cases in Bacolod City and in the province of Negros Occidental.
Bacolod City is currently a host to the latest Covid-19 molecular laboratory as initiated by the Philippine Red Cross Negros Occidental-Bacolod City Chapter that inaugurated its new facility on August 18.
The new lab is located on 10th Lacson Street, Bacolod City.
Gracing the inauguration were Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose V. Lacson, Philippine Red Cross Negros Chapter Board of Directors led by its Chapter President Carlos Ganihong, Governor Jorge Lim, Governor Jay Jalandoni, Provincial Board member Ryan Gamboa, Dr. Carlitos Orola, Bobby Montelibano, Alfredo Barcelona, Arthur Yap, Ed Go, Chapter Administrator Benette Mirasol and Red Cross Board member Bacolod City Administrator Em L. Ang.
Lacson welcomed the new addition in the number of Covid-19 molecular laboratories now accessible to the people of Negros Occidental and Bacolod City.
Earlier, the Province has equipped Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City with the Covid-19 bio-molecular laboratory, which is the pioneer Covid-19 bio-molecular lab in Negros Occidental.
Bacolod City Administrator Ang said the opening of the latest Covid-19 molecular laboratory by the Philippine Red Cross Negros Chapter serves as a great news for Bacolod and Negros as it brings to five the total number of Covid-19 testing labs in the province.
This will augment the existing labs at Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) Bio-Molecular Diagnostic Lab, the Doctors Hospital, and Bacolod Queen of Mercy Hospital, and will significantly increase its testing capacity as it is capable of processing 2,000 RT-PCR tests per day.
The Red Cross laboratory is also expected to ease the backlogs in RT-PCR testing in the province especially in light of the recent spike in Covid-19 cases locally.
"As a member of the Red Cross Board myself, I thank the PRC National Board and Senator Richard Gordon for extending assistance to us thru the establishment of this laboratory. We also thank the donors and volunteers who helped in many different ways to make this project possible. These Bayanihan efforts will surely boost our city's health care mechanisms to fight Covid-19," she said.