Granma. Jose Manuel Correa

Havana, November 2 (RHC)-- A new molecular biology laboratory was inaugurated in the municipality of Mariel, in the western province of Artemisa.

Vice Prime Minister Roberto Morales Ojeda said on Twitter that the entity's opening would allow the processing of PCR samples in real-time to diagnose  COVID-19,  gives autonomy to the province,  and offers the possibility of collaborating with neighboring territories, such as Pinar del Río.

The laboratory can process 300 samples per day and provide services to the Special Zone of Mariel Development.

On the other hand, Dr. Manuel Romero Placeres, director of the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK), stated that the new center expands the facilities of this type in the country, especially in provinces with important economic zones, and confirms the interest of increasing the number of samples, to reach up to 20,000 daily tests shortly.

In his opinion, the new lab network is a strength which now serves to quickly control each of the outbreaks of COVID-19.

Dr. Romero added that the IPK would then remain as a reference center or for the specific diagnosis of the different viruses that can circulate in Cuba or the world, the expert said in recent days in the city of Matanzas.