As of August 8, 2021, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has already tested 3,749,152 for COVID-19, which is 21.80% of the country’s total testing numbers, making PRC the country’s leading agency when it comes to COVID-19 testing.
“Even with the ECQ this August, Red Cross has been testing 8,530 a day. Lagi ko sinasabi, we will not stop. Testing at vaccination ang ating sandata laban sa pandemyang ito,” said PRC Chairman and CEO Senator Richard J. Gordon.
Of the total daily testing that PRC has done, 6,944 of them were swab tests while the remaining 1,586 were tested through the much cheaper saliva tests.
PRC’s testing laboratories across the country have been working non-stop to accommodate the huge number of specimens needed to be tested. The premier humanitarian organization has testing centers in the following areas:
- PRC Tower – Mandaluyong City
- Philippine Red Cross Logistics and Multi-Purpose Center – Mandaluyong City
- Port Area – Manila City
- Subic Molecular Laboratory
- Clark Molecular Laboratory
- Batangas Molecular Laboratory
- Cebu Molecular Laboratory
- Bacolod Molecular Laboratory
- Zamboanga Molecular Laboratory
- Cagayan De Oro Molecular Laboratory
- Isabela Molecular Laboratory
- Surigao Molecular Laboratory
- Passi Molecular Laboratory
These molecular laboratories are on top of the other sites used in collecting saliva specimens which are strategically located at malls and other public areas.
Gordon also stated that if need be, PRC will establish more satellite specimen collection centers, especially with the cases surging again across the entire country. (PR) -rir
