NMIS undergoes COVID-19 PCR Test

Upon the directive of National Meat Inspection Service Executive Director Dr. Reildrin G. Morales, all NMIS Central Office, Regional Technical Operation Centers NCR and IV-B employees underwent Reverse Transcription - Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test for COVID-19 at the Mall of Asia Arena Swabbing Facility in Pasay City, August 6-7, 2020.

Undergoing the RT-PCR test will ensure that all employees are free from the threat of COVID-19. This assurance will give more confidence to employees to perform their responsibilities in a secure and healthy environment. As food safety frontliners, NMIS employees need to be healthy for them to be able to provide safe meat for Filipino consumers.

The testing was done by batch, one on August 6, and the other on August 7. The result will be accessed through the official Philippine Red Cross website three to five working days after the retrieval of the sample.

In case an employee is found to be positive, safety measures will be implemented by the NMIS administration such as contact tracing, cleaning and disinfection and providing assistance to the employee with confirmed COVID-19 case.

RT-PCR is considered as the gold standard test recommended by the Department of Health to detect the presence of COVID 19 virus. RT-PCR uses a nasopharyngeal swab sample.

The mass testing of NMIS employees was made possible by the efforts of NMIS Service Continuity and Planning Management Team (SCPMT), Department of Agriculture’s- SPCMT, Department of Health National Action Plan Against COVID-19 and Philippine Red Cross.