Guanajuato’s state-run medical laboratory has increased its coronavirus test processing capacity fivefold since the beginning of the pandemic and is now processing about 500 tests per day, up from 100 when Covid-19 was first detected in Mexico at the end of February.

The lab is operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week with a total of 41 staff members involved in the test analysis process.

Guanajuato Governor Diego Sinhue praised their work during a visit to the laboratory on Wednesday.

“We feel proud to have the best health system and laboratory in the country thanks to the chemists and technicians that work here,” he said.

“They’ve processed more than 18,000 samples … and detected more than 2,000 [coronavirus] patients who we’re attending to in a timely way.”

Sinhue said that the state Health Ministry bolstered the lab’s diagnostic capacity in order to detect more Covid-19 cases and thus limit the spread of the coronavirus.

He warned Guanajuato residents that the risk of infection remains high in the state and urged them to continue following the advice to stay at home.

A total of 2,009 people have tested positive in Guanajuato, according to federal data, and 779 cases are considered active. The state has the fifth largest active outbreak in the country behind only Mexico City, México state, Tabasco and Jalisco.

Guanajuato has recorded 122 Covid-19 deaths for a fatality rate of 6.1 per 100 cases, much lower than the national rate of 11.6.

Source: El Universal (sp)