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Holguín increases PCR testing capacity

covid-pesquisasThe facility that will house the Molecular Engineering Laboratory, to process PCR test samples in the eastern province of Holguín, is preparing to receive and install the necessary medical equipment.

Currently underway at the site, where the laboratory will process up to 1,000 tests in 24 hours, is the required civil construction, which is more than 75% complete, according to engineer Marilín Escobar Cabrera, of the Vladimir Lenin Hospital’s investment department.

Within the hospital where an area is being modified for the lab, at a cost of 3,000 CUC for the construction alone, adherence to all hygienic and sanitary norms will be assured and maximum biological security will be guaranteed to safely conduct the processing of tests.

Before beginning the work, Escobar reported, project specialists in Public Health, Hygiene and Epidemiology in the province of Holguín consulted personnel at the Molecular Engineering Laboratory in Santiago de Cuba.

The facility will begin operations as a Category Two lab, given the risks associated with the handling of samples to be tested, but experts from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, responsible for the preparation of the installation’s legal file, are considering the possibility that, once the COVID epidemic is contained, testing for other diseases could be conducted here, including those that require Category 4 status, given the high level of precaution implied.

Escobar noted that the lab will afford the Lenin Hospital greater scientific capacity, as well as the possibility of being designated a Medical Institution, with the addition of this new service to the more than 30 currently offered, which include specialized attention in obstetrics/gynecology, cardiology, oncology, and assisted reproduction.

(Source: Granma)

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