MANILA, Philippines — The Taguig City government has opened a drive-thru coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing center in the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) for residents with vehicles who are not able to get tested in hospitals and health centers.
The drive-thru testing site was opened on Wednesday and is located at the Northeast Parking Area in front of Kidzania, beside CitiBank and IBM One World Place.
On the first day of the testing site, 10 suspected COVID-19 cases were tested, with each test taking only five minutes, the city government said in a Facebook post.
“We are making testing accessible to the most number of Taguigeños we possibly can. Testing is a very important part of a successful COVID-19 response. It saves lives,” Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano said.
Those who want to get tested through the drive-thru site need to do the following:
- Call COVID-19 hotline at 878-93200 or 0966-419-4510 where you will be assessed by the City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (CEDSU)
- Resident will receive a control number to be presented to testing center; visit drive-thru testing facility located in Lakeshore or the BGC
- Present the digital copy of control number to Receiving Booth
- Proceed to the testing area to get tested
- Receive Anti-COVID Kit with monitoring sheet
- CEDSU will contact the resident for results 3-5 days after testing
A person will be asked to go to the isolation area if he/she exhibits COVID-19 symptoms such as fever. An ambulance will also be posted near the testing site for cases of hospitalization.
The Taguig City government said it has partnered with the Department of Health, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, St. Luke’s Medical Center in BGC and the Philippine Red Cross to ensure that samples can more speedily be tested.
The drive-thru testing initiative is a part of the city government’s Systematic Mass Approach to Responsible Testing (SMART) program which includes barangay-based testing, visit from the CEDSU testing team, tests in private and public hospitals, and drive-thru testing.
“SMART is a framework that ensures that everyone who needs to be tested will be tested,” Cayetano said.
As of April 29, there are 8,212 COVID-19 cases in the country, with the death toll at 558. A total of 1,023 patients have also recovered from the disease.