San Miguel Corp. (SMC) has introduced its coronavirus testing laboratory in Mandaluyong on Friday.
The laboratory can hold 4,000 tests per day using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RT-PCR is considered the ideal standard for Covid-19 testing.
Called Better World Edsa, the new facility can run up to 12,000 tests per day or nearly a quarter of the government’s targeted daily count.
Some 70,000 employees in SMC’s network will be the first ones to undergo testing in the laboratory.
SMC emphasizes the need to support the public health sector and make a return-to-work strategy still safe in the coming months.
Present during the opening of the laboratory were SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang; National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 chief implementer and Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.; Covid-19 Task Force deputy chief implementer and testing czar Vince Dizon; and Department of Health undersecretary Leopoldo Vega.
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SMC launches a coronavirus testing laboratory in Mandaluyong
SMC claims to have one of the most advanced private testing laboratories in the country. There are two sets of RT-PCR machines in the laboratory. It has automatic nucleic acid extraction systems or NATCH. Each set consists of two PCR machines and one NATCH.
“Two weeks into the quarantine last March, we included the testing laboratory as part of our business continuity plan. We procured the machines, and had personnel undergo training for its full-scale operations,” said Ang.
“With this facility, we are taking responsibility for testing our own employees and unburdening our health system. It also helps make our operations more resilient to disruptions brought about by the virus. Lesser disruptions on our operations will allow us to better contribute to the immediate recovery of the economy,” he said.
SMC’s priority is to have 50 percent of its employees return to work in the coming weeks.