CAMAGÜEY.- More than 900 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests for the diagnosis of COVID-19 patients are processed daily at the Camagüey Molecular Biology Laboratory. After the arrival of new equipment, its workers have managed to double the number of analyzes every 24 hours in just over a week.
According to Tahymiris Pérez Milan, director of the institution, the increase in study abilities and the experience accumulated by the staff in almost three months of operation represent a notable advance. The speed and quality of the analyzes will allow prompt and effective action against the spread of the coronavirus.
“Although the confirmations are still carried out at the Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK) in the capital of the country, in the last check-up we obtained 100% coincidences. Taking these results into account, we are in a quality control process that will allow us to confirm everything right here, ”said Pérez Milan.
This result has been possible due to the sense of belonging and the discipline of the technicians and other specialists in charge of determining the results of the exams, as well as computer scientists, an electromedical and ten 5th year students of Health Biotechnology.
“So far we have not had any infected workers. The means of protection, the constant washing of the hands, the use of hypochlorite and alcohol and the disinfection of the surface are optimized. We take great care of ourselves because we cannot allow a sample to become contaminated or for any of us to get sick ”, commented Marelys Álvarez Álvarez, laboratory technician.
Attached to the Eduardo Agramonte Piña pediatric hospital and located in areas of the hospital extension for outpatient consultations of Pediatric Specialties in the city of Camagüey, the modern laboratory contributes to increasing the country's real-time PCR capacity.
Translated by Linet Acuña Quilez