Senator Richard  Gordon said the Philippine Red Cross’ efforts in combating the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been boosted after the Department of Health (DOH)  accredited PRC’s second molecular laboratory as a certified COVID-19 testing center upon passing the proficiency test.

Gordon, PRC chairman and CEO, said the second facility, which was inaugurated last Tuesday, is now good to go and can run up to 4,000 tests a day with its four machines.

“I’m elated that our second lab has been approved. With a total of 8 machines now, we can have up to 8000 tests a day,” he said.

PRC’s first molecular laboratory, which opened last week, already finished testing some 1,000 samples sent by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).

The PRC chief further said that with a third laboratory soon to open at the PRC’s old national headquarters in Port Area, Manila with another four set of machines, the PRC can conduct up to 12,000 tests per day in the National Capital Region.

“The focus is we cannot beat this unless we unmask the invisible enemy and we can only do that by testing. Then you can separate them, isolate them and you start healing people. The focus must be victory over the virus,” Gordon stressed./Stacy Ang