Pasay City Mega Swabbing Center Opens, Can Conduct 1,000 Covid-19 Tests Daily

The country’s third mega swabbing facility opened on Friday at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City to prioritize the mass testing for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), especially for an estimated 25,000 repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

- Martin A. Sadongdong And Genalyn D. Kabiling

Vince Dizon, deputy chief implementer of National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19, said the facility has 72 testing booths and can conduct 1,000 tests per day.

“It will be manned by various nurses, med techs (medical technologists), nursing assistants, encoders and other assistants to make the operations of swabbing our kababayans very efficient,” he said in an interview over ANC.

Dizon said the testing of the OFWs, who are now housed in quarantine facilities, is deemed important to decongest the isolation centers in the Metro Manila area.

“We need to swab them because we need to establish whether or not they are positive or negative for COVID-19 while they are undergoing quarantine,” he said.

The specimens will then be brought for analysis at the laboratory of the Philippine Red Cross in Mandaluyong City.

Those found COVID-19 positive will have to remain under quarantine, Dizon said.

Those who tested COVID19 negative will be given a health certificate attesting that they are free from COVID-19 and they can go home to their places of residence for home quarantine.

After finishing the mass testing of OFWs, Dizon said the national government will team up with the local government units (LGUs) so that the suspects and probables in the communities will also be tested.