By Joseph B.A. Marzan
The Western Visayas Medical Center’s (WVMC) chief pathologist on Wednesday admitted that many test specimens of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are yet to be tested, as six of its staff are still admitted after testing positive for the virus.
In a press conference on Wednesday, WVMC Chief Pathologist Dr. Stephanie Abello said that the Sub-National Laboratory (SNL) is handling 3,446 unprocessed specimens, 584 of which are backlogs or specimen which already passed the 72-hour turnaround time or waiting period for detection of the virus and release of the results.
While the delay in releasing the results will not affect the integrity of the specimen, there is a risk that persons who underwent the test but still waiting for their results on an extended time will be forced to go out and mingle with the public.
If that person was negative but gets infected while waiting for the result, he or she could unwittingly spread the disease thinking that they don’t have SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19.
But Abello said that with the arrival of an extraction reagent today, Aug 20, the SNL hopes to increase the current testing capability to 1,500.
“We are not yet in full operation because we still have [six] staff admitted [in a health facility]. Currently, we have 3,446 specimens unprocessed, 584 of these are already backlogs, but today we are planning to process around 900. We plan to start processing the 584 backlogs along with other samples so they can be decreased. With the arrival of the reagent of one of our automated extraction machines, we can increase them to 1,500. So we can be able to catch up with the 3,446 unprocessed,” Dr. Abello said.
The SNL was placed under lockdown on August 11 for disinfection and cleaning after one of its Medical Laboratory Technologists tested positive for COVID-19.
The lockdown of the SNL, along with part of the Obstetrics ward, has been lifted on August 17.
Dr. Abello confirmed that as of August 19, 2020, a total of 27 WVMC personnel had tested positive for the virus, with 2 new additional positive cases.
SOME PARTS STILL UNDER LOCKDOWN
Dr. Abello mentioned that two areas, the Finance Office and the St. Jude Psychiatry Ward, are still under lockdown due to positive patients and quarantined staff.
“Currently, two areas are under lockdown, our Finance Office, and partially, the OB-St. Jude area, because of a positive patient. Many of the St. Jude staff are under quarantine, so operations are only partial. With regard to the Finance Office, since the hospital can operate remotely with the finance, only the cashiers are operating but the accounting office is under complete lockdown because of decontamination procedures and staff are also under quarantine,” Abello said.
