OVP to bring mobile antigen COVID-19 testing in areas with high transmission

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Vice President (OVP) will be launching its free mobile antigen COVID-19 testing for areas with high coronavirus transmission in a bid to ramp up the testing capacities of local government units (LGUs.)

Called “Swab Cab,” the project will be piloted in Malabon city from March 30 to April 6.

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“So ito, magpo-provide tayo ng mobile na parang bus, pupunta doon sa mga communities na grabe iyong transmission,” Vice President Leni Robredo explained Sunday during her weekly radio show.

(We will provide a bus that will go to communities where there is high transmission.)

“May partnership with the LGU kasi iyong mag-a-identify noong mga communities, pati iyong kung sino mismo iyong isa-swab, LGU rin iyong mag-a-identify kasi sila iyong nakakaalam,” she added.

(There is partnership with LGUs because they are the ones to identify the communities and who will undergo the testing.)

Robredo said a person who will test positive in the antigen test will be immediately isolated in a facility and will undergo a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, which considered the “gold standard” in COVID-19 detection.

“Kung antigen lang, makakabigay ito ng false sense of security o hindi talaga siya parang stand-alone na programa, pero bahagi siya ng malaking programa. So ito, kapag antigen na nag-positive ka, i-a-isolate ka na, i-a-RT-PCR ka na,” she explained.

(If they will only undergo an atigen test, it may give a false sense of security so it’s not a stand-alone program, but a part of a bigger one. If you are positive in the antigen test, you will be isolated and undergo the RT-PCR test.)

/MUF