Lab CAPTION: 39 of 47 staff of Ospital ng Imus (ONI) Molecular Laboratory in Malagasang 1-G has been tested positive for COVID infections, which is why the processing of the samples coming here is slow. Photo by Dennis Abrina.

39 lab staff contract COVID-19, set up bubble labs to continue

January 14, 2022 Dennis Abrina 266 views

IMUS CITY, Cavite. – The City Health Office of Imus was forced to conduct a bubble set-up in their Molecular Laboratory just so as not to paralyze the processing of RT PCR results as Covid-19 cases in the province continue to rise.

Around 39 of 47 staffs of Molecular Lab of Ospital ng Imus (ONI) in Malagasang 1-G, Imus tested positive for Coronavirus, so they were forced to stay in to run the said laboratory which many knew needed the result of the swab test or RT PCR or Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction.

In the said lab, all swab samples were taken from each town and city in Cavite to determine if it was a positive or negative result.

“Kapag full force kame, we can finish around 1,500 to 2,000 samples a day, ngayon kasi nga 8 lang sila naka-duty, minimum 300 samples for this week,” Acting City Health Officer Dr. Ferdie Mina said in an interview.

“Kase nga most of the samples are done here in ONI Molecular Lab, instead of going too far, tulad ng GenTri, Dasma, Cavite City and NAIA dito dinadala.” Dr. Mina added more.

Local government here under Mayor and Buklod Filipino Partylist 1st nominee Emmanuel Maliksi to provide antigen kits to each barangay and health centers to easily determine if a village official or health care worker is positive for Covid.

“Katulad dito sa vaccination site, 25 of my staffs here tested positive on an antigen test, mabuti na lang most of them are asymptomatic and mild symptoms.” Dr. Mina said.

Cavite has 2,096 new cases of 9,807 total active cases as of January 14, 2022 of the total of 138,793 confirmed cases, 125,622 recovered, and 3,364 deaths.

Based on the latest quarantine guidelines of the Department of Health (DOH), if a health care worker is asymptomatic, quarantine of 5 days, on the 6th day can enter or return to work.

According to Dr. Mina, some of the staff of the molecular lab that undergoes quarantine will be back on work on Monday, so the processing of samples will be a bit faster again.

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