Manado to be PCR Test Center in N. Sulawesi, Gorontalo and N. Maluku

KOMPAS/KRISTIAN OKA PRASETYADI

An employee checks laboratory equipment on Saturday (18/4/2020) at the Environmental Health Technology Center in Manado, North Sulawesi. The North Sulawesi administration and the Health Ministry are setting up a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test laboratory in Manado to speed up testing for suspected Covid-19 cases.

MANADO, KOMPAS — Throat swab sampling to detect COVID-19 can be conducted in Manado, North Sulawesi, starting early May. At least two laboratories will test samples of patients suspected of having contracted COVID-19 from North Sulawesi, Gorontalo and North Maluku.

The Environmental Hygiene and Disease Control Technical Center (BTKLPP) Class I, Manado, is one of the laboratory locations being prepared for sample testing by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. The other laboratory will be opened at Prof. Dr. RD Kandou Central General Hospital.

According to Head of BTKLPP Manado, Suharto, two biosafety cabinets, one microcentrifuge and one real time PCR device are made available and ready for use. To make adjustments to biosafety level 2 (BSL-2), the floors of the three rooms have been coated with epoxies, while their waste disposal drains and air pressure controls have been installed.

When PCR tests are already in progress, the reagents needed will be supplied by the Health Research and Development Center, Jakarta.

“We’re restructuring the equipment and cleaning laboratories. We’ve prepared biosafety cabinets in the extraction room, while the real time PCR device now still in its box will be installed in the machine room,” said Suharto.

Until Wednesday (29/4/2020), the BTKLPP Manado management had made preparations by arranging instruments in laboratory rooms. There are three laboratory rooms to be used, which are the mixing room to prepare reagents, the extraction room to take ribonucleic acid (RNA) from swab samples and the machine room to test samples to ascertain the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the samples.

Suharto added that reagent extracts had also been available but their quantity was still limited. The reagents will be used for sample test simulations on Thursday (30/4/2020) or Friday (1/5/2020), to be followed later by real tests. “When PCR tests are already in progress, the reagents needed will be supplied by the Health Research and Development Center, Jakarta,” he said.

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KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

A health worker records patient data on Thursday (23/4/2020) in the hemodialysis center of Bogor Regional General Hospital in Bogor municipality, West Java. As many as 51 health workers at the hospital have been listed as suspected cases of Covid-19, pending the results of their swab tests. As a result, the hospital has downsized some nonessential services, including non-coronavirus outpatient services.

In one day, the BTKLPP Manado laboratory has the capacity of testing 96 samples with one real time PCR device. It takes around seven hours to test samples until test results are obtained.

At the capacity rate, BTKLPP Manado is ready to test samples of patients from North Sulawesi, Gorontalo and North Maluku. “There are no direct flights from North Maluku to Jakarta. But there are special cargo ferries sailing from Ternate to Bitung. It takes at least one day,” he said.

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The BTKLPP Manado laboratory will be operated by eight to nine officers divided into two to three groups. The groups on duty will take turns every day. Three members who have been trained in special PCR testing for Covid-19 will train the other peers.

Meanwhile, North Sulawesi Covid-19 Task Force Spokesman Dr. Steaven Dandel said PCR tests could be started no sooner than Friday (1/5/2020). The presence of PCR test laboratories in Manado will practically minimize the time to obtain test results. So far test results have only been secured after 4-14 days due to the long time needed to send them to Makassar from Jakarta.

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KRISTIAN OKA PRASETYADI

North Sulawesi Covid-19 task force spokesman Steaven Dandel briefs the press about the new testing laboratory on Thursday (26/3/2020) in Manado.

“In this way, the diagnosis and determination of positive or negative status of patients under surveillance or PDPs will certainly be speedier. The same is true of the handling of PDPs who need further treatment or die,” said Steaven.

The presence of laboratories will also relieve the burden of healthcare personal in isolation rooms. Patients testing negative for Covid-19 can be transferred to ordinary inpatient rooms so that isolation rooms don’t need to be fully packed.

Epidemiologically, the presence of special PCR test laboratories can help the health monitoring team of the Covid-19 Task Force map out the spread of the disease. It’s because health checks on PDPs and people in contact with them can be conducted more quickly.

“The prevention of disease transmission will be more effective so that the peak of this pandemic will soon be over. I hope we can follow the trends in other countries where the curves of infection rates are beginning to flatten,” added Steaven.

KOMPAS/KRISTIAN OKA PRASETYADI

North Sulawesi Governor Olly Dondokambey

In the meantime, North Sulawesi Governor Olly Dondokambey hoped the reagent extract demand for PCR tests could be promptly fulfilled by the central government, because hospitals in regions would be overwhelmed by delays in releasing test results.

“We’ve prepared regional general hospitals but remained constrained by the difficulty to obtain reagent extracts. We also find it hard to purchase from over there (abroad),” he said.

North Sulawesi got three more confirmed cases that made the total 43 on Wednesday. Of the number, 12 people were declared recovered, including one patient who died from kidney failure after recovering. Three others died when they were suffering from Covid-19.

As of Wednesday morning, 56 PDPs had died, three of whom tested positive for Covid-19. The remaining 31 were found negative while 22 others were waiting for test results. The PDPs still under treatment total 71.