Makati’s COVID-19 pool testing to prioritize PUV drivers, vendors

Image from MyMakati Facebook.

MANILA, Philippines — Vendors and public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers will become the priority for a COVID-19 pool testing in Makati City as they are high-risk individuals for the coronavirus disease, the city government said Thursday.

Pool testing is a process wherein the local government will select groups of people or communities to undergo swab testing.

“We are initially targeting 10,000 individuals, mostly PUV drivers and market vendors who are among the sectors that are most exposed to the virus. Later on, the pooled testing method can be applied to other sectors,” Mayor Abby Binay said in a statement.

The pool testing is expected to begin on August 15 at Makati Coliseum, Makati Public Information Office told reporters in a Viber message.

Makati City was chosen for pooled swab testing under the private sector initiative Project ARK after the local government recently signed an agreement with Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC), the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship and the BDO Foundation (BDOF).

Under the agreement, the PCMC will educate members of Makati Health Department to conduct the swab testing and interpret test results.

As of Aug. 5, Makati has 2,260 confirmed cases of COVID-19 including 132 deaths and 1,097 recoveries.

EDV