The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) has confirmed that 43 of its staff have tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), majority of whom are currently asymptomatic.
The operation of the RITM is forced to scale down to give way for the disinfection of the facilities and the testing of their personnel. It is expected to last until April 24.
RITM Director Dr. Celia Carlos has clarified that only the laboratories will be affected by the temporary scale down while the hospital will still be fully operational.
The Department of Health (DOH) will implement a zoning system for the referral of specimens in other subnational laboratories in the Philippines but the RITM will still accept swabs from Parañaque, Las Piñas, and Pasay.
Dr. Celia Carlos has disclosed that there are 5,000 pending specimens due to the lack of manpower. The RITM has partnered with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) for additional RT-PCR Machines. The RITM is also looking for additional medical technologists and encoders to augment the lack in personnel. The institute is still positive that they will finish the backlogs until the end of April.
Report from Mark Fetalco
