Marikina City to set up lab testing center for the detection of COVID-19 cases

By Jhon Aldrin Casinas

Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro has announced that the city government will set up a laboratory testing center in the city for the early detection of cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro shows to the media on Friday the decontamination tent which will be used as part of the precautionary measures of the city to stop the spread of COVID-19. (Photo courtesy of Marikina LGU)

Teodoro said the local government of Marikina forged a partnership with the Manila Health Tek Inc., the first biotechnology private company for health in the country, which is a spinoff of University of the Philippines—Manila.

The company will supply the 3,000 testing kits for COVID-19 that the city government will procure soon, he said.

The mayor said doctors of Marikina City Health Office (CHO) will be trained by the scientist and doctors of the Manila Health Tek, Inc.

Maria Carmen Ocampo, Sales and Marketing manager of Manila Health Tek, said their testing kits are capable of determining if a person was infected with COVID-19.

“Ang tine-test po nito ay ang virus mismo kaya agad po nade-detect. Once infected ang isang tao, made-detect agad,” Ocampo explained.

Both Teodoro and Ocampo noted that those who will get tested using the said testing kits will still undergo the confirmation test of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).

“We are not disrupting the protocol of DOH, because whoever is going to get tested here will still get tested at RITM. We are just helping to have an early detection,” Teodoro said in a statement.

Ocampo said that their testing kits have 95 percent accuracy, and the result will be determined after two hours.

According to the statement, Teodoro presented to the media the decontamination tents that he plans to buy and set up at the City Hall, City Health Office, and other crowded areas in Marikina.

The disinfectant being used in the misting is plant-based so it is safe for the public, the mayor said.

“This is part of our massive disinfection measure in the city. We want to assure all our residents that all necessary precautionary measures are being done by the local government,” he said.

Teodoro has also urged his constituents to remain calm, saying that the COVID-19 will never defeat a united community like Marikina.