Nature’s Spring Foundation Inc. grants equipment to proposed Molecular Lab for Covid-19

As a commitment to the Covid-19 response strategies for early detection, Nature’s Spring Foundation, Inc. turned over a total amount of 800,000 pesos to the Philippine Red Cross – Cebu Chapter for the donation of a Polymerase Chain Reaction or PCR Machine as contribution to the establishment a Molecular Laboratory that will cater to Covid-19 testing in the Visayas area.

PCR is a type of Covid-19 test kit that will use nasopharyngeal swap samples in detecting the RNA strains of the SarS-CoV-2 virus earlier before the antibodies or the symptoms of the disease appear. According to the Philippine Red Cross – Cebu Chapter team, the issuance of the results is between 48 to 36 hours. The lab will follow an online system for a real-time forwarding of data to its headquarters.

The lab will also conduct rapid anti-body tests to a person prior to conducting a PCR test. It is expected to cater suspected cases in the Cebu area and its neighboring provinces. It will be the second laboratory in the region next to the Vicente Sotto Medical Memorial Center which will cater Covid-19 tests.

The lab, which will start operations by the third week of June 2020, is one of the 12 Molecular Laboratories that the Philippine Red Cross will put up in the entire country. These mobile facilities will not only cater Covid-19 tests but also offers tests for SARS, Dengue and HIV with the latter being one of the most prevalent cases in the province.