The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) COVID Testing Center has been certified and will begin accepting swab samples from Laguna and neighboring provinces beginning Monday, July 6, 2020.
The UPLB COVID-19 Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory (UPLB-CMDL) in Laguna received on June 29 its certification as a molecular laboratory that can perform independent testing for COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) by Realtime PCR.
The certification from the Department of Health-Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (DOH-RITM) also came with a license to operate for the year 2020 from the DOH Health Facilities and Service Regulatory Bureau.
UPLB social media clarified on Saturday that the laboratory does not accept walk-in patients for the swabbing procedure and advised the public to go to a hospital for the procedure.
The UPLB-CMDL has six laboratory analysts/medical technologists who passed the Proficiency Test for SARS-CoV-2 Detection by Real-Time PCR. The lab personnel scored 100% in tests on nucleic acid extraction, reagent preparation, and real-time RT-PCR of Multiple Targets, UPLB reported.
The lab personnel completed the training course for the SARS-CoV2 Testing Training Program at the UP Manila -National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB) in UP Diliman.
The team also completed the Online NIH Biosafety Course of the National Training Center for Biosafety and Biosecurity and also had their N95 respirator fitting at RITM.
The UPLB COVID testing lab is the project of the UPLB COVID Task Force that was created by Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. on April 3, 2020. Dr. Rex Demafelis, UPLB vice chancellor for research and extension, chairs the UPLB Task Force Laban ng Bayan Kontra COVID-19.
The UP Los Baños COVID Testing Center is located at the Agricultural and Life Sciences Complex and is headed by Dr. Ma. Genaleen Q. Diaz.
UP Los Baños has made several contributions to address the coronavirus disease pandemic in the country including developing personal protective equipment for frontliners and showcasing its edible landscaping as a model for a healthy food source.
SEND WELL WISHES in the comments below to the UP Los Baños COVID Testing Center as it begins to accept swab samples from Laguna and neighboring provinces to help address the health crisis.
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