January 19, 2021 THE Covid-19 molecular laboratory at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport (FBIA), recently accredited by the Department of Health (DOH), will start running its reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests, but it will not be intended for arriving passengers, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said.
Duterte-Carpio said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio on Monday, January 18, that the city got its license to operate the airport lab on Friday, January 15.
The laboratory can now process specimens of suspected or probable Covid-19 patients.
The laboratory was donated by the United Laboratories in September 2020.
Before the official DOH accreditation, the laboratory was used for the training of medical technologists and validation of result purposes, but not for testing for the City Government.