New molecular biology laboratory opens in Cienfuegos province

HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 1 (ACN) A new molecular biology laboratory was inaugurated on Sunday in the central province of Cienfuegos, as part of the national network to face the COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba.

Félix Duarte Ortega, member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and first secretary in this territory, toured the premises where up to 500 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) samples will be processed daily.

Accompanied by Alexandre Corona Quintero, governor of Cienfuegos province, and health officials, Duarte Ortega was interested in the Chinese technology equipment and its 24-hour operation.

He valued the advantages of this facility that allows performing a greater number of tests to the people of Cienfuegos and more quickly, with quality controls and with all the biosecurity measures.

Salvador Tamayo Muñíz, provincial director of Health, explained that this is a living and dynamic laboratory, which can process samples to determine other diseases, not only in the field of infestology, but also to make prognoses in the field of genetics, or medical treatments and management for the fight against cancer.

Tamayo Muñíz indicated that the country's effort to create this network of laboratories, even at the provincial level, to bring diagnosis closer is impressive, and this is part of Cuba's response to the pandemic.

Dr. Yenisber Valdivia Portal, a specialist in General Comprehensive Medicine and Microbiology, directs the new laboratory, located very close to the city's hospitals.

In statements to the press, she informed that the staff is made up of 34 workers, two of them men and the rest women, who received training at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology of the province of Villa Clara and at the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK) in Havana.

At a total cost of 700 thousand pesos, of which more than 250 thousand for medical and non-medical equipment, the laboratory was conceived in only two months of work with construction brigades from the territory itself.

He said that the equipment responds to the needs, and at first, they will obtain the results of the samples in 24 hours.

Then, all the tests that are positive will be certified in the Santa Clara and IPK laboratories, because in 72 hours they will have the complete diagnoses.

When the staff gains more experience, the laboratory will be able to certify its own work and speed up the diagnoses even more, said the expert.

She indicated that there is a network connection for all the information, and there is also an internal communication to support the productive flow, without the need for the personnel to leave the departments and thus avoid contagion.

This Monday the IPK specialists will certify the laboratory, and from then on they will begin to process the samples.

She stated that all the safety measures have been adopted, from the design of the enclave, with a suitable flow chart, high vigilance in the use of the means of protection, and disinfectant solutions to avoid contamination.