MANILA, Philippines — The city of Manila can now conduct localized, targeted coronavirus mass testing to slow the spread of the contagion in the Philippine capital and allow authorities to isolate infected residents.
Six district hospitals and the Delpan quarantine facility can conduct 232 swab tests each day or 1,624 tests per week, the city’s public information office said Monday. Manila has so far conducted 934 swab tests.
Here are the health facilities capable of conducting COVID-19 test swabs:
- Manila Health Department/Delpan quarantine facility – 50 tests per day
- Ospital ng Maynila – 20 tests per day
- Sta. Ana Hospital/Manila Infectious Disease Control Center – 30 tests per day
- Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center – 50 tests per day
- Ospital ng Tondo – 17 tests per day
- Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital – 17 tests per day
- Ospital ng Sampaloc – 50 tests per day
The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine or the University of the Philippines’ Philippine General Hospital will process the swab tests. UP-PGH Director Gab Legaspi said the hospital can release the results in two to three days.
The first localized, targeting mass testing was conducted in Valenzuela City on Saturday. The local governments of Quezon City and Pasig as well as the province of Cavite will also conduct mass testing.
The National Task Force against COVID-19 said aggressive or targeted testing and contact tracing of virus carriers will be the “game changer” in the country’s fight against COVID-19.
The Philippines has 4,648 confirmed COVID-19 infections with 297 deaths and 197 recoveries. — Gaea Katreena Cabico