Philippines Opens Swabbing Centers As It Eyes 30,000 Daily Coronavirus Tests By End Of May

The Philippines is opening massive swabbing centers as it prepares to ramp up coronavirus testing to 30,000 per day by the end of the month, government officials said Tuesday.

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The government on Tuesday opened its first mega swabbing facility--the Palacio de Maynila along Roxas Boulevard-- which now houses 65 sample collection booths.

In a day, the converted events place can swab around 1,000 persons suspected of being sick with COVID-19, officials said.

"Testing is a cornerstone of the national COVID-19 response,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.

"This will really help us ramp up our testing capacity,” he added.

Three other venues are being prepared to serve as swabbing facilities, namely the Enderun Colleges in Taguig City, the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, and the Mall of Asia in Pasay City, according to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.

The facilities will prioritize returning Filipino migrant workers as the Department of Foreign Affairs continues to bring home displaced Filipinos overseas, said Vince Dizon, deputy chief implementer of the country's coronavirus response efforts.

The Philippine Red Cross Laboratory in Mandaluyong City will serve as the main testing center for the samples collected in the mega swabbing centers. Results are expected to be out in 2 to 3 days, Dizon said.

Once fully operational, the 4 mega swabbing facilities can cater to 5,000 individuals per day.

"Ang ginagawa po natin ngayon ay binibuild up po natin ang ating infrastructure para mag-isolate at mag-treat," he said in a Palace briefing.

(What we're doing now is we're building up our infrastructure for isolation and treatment.)

"We will save a lot of lives if we ramp up testing, lalo na po sa ating mga kababayan na walang paraan na magself-isolate," he added.

(We will save a lot of lives if we ramp up testing especially for our countrymen who have no means to self-isolate.)

MORE TESTING CENTERS

To complement the opening of swabbing centers, the government is also planning to have 78 accredited coronavirus testing centers by the end of the month.

The country currently has 22 accredited coronavirus testing centers.

"Ang target po natin by May 30, 78 na po ang ating mga laboratoryo sa buong Pilipinas, kasama na po ang Visayas at Mindanao," Dizon said.

(We aim to have 78 laboratories for COVID-19 testing in the whole country by May 30.)

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

The government on Tuesday opened its first mega swabbing facility--the Palacio de Maynila along Roxas Boulevard-- which now houses 65 sample collection booths.​

To ensure enough manpower in the swabbing centers and facilities, Malacañang has issued a call for volunteers in different government agencies.

The National Task Force on COVID-19 response also invited medical professionals and students to volunteer as swabbers for sample collection. Aside from swabbers, the government also needs encoders, and bar coders.

The volunteers will complement personnel from the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fire Protection who will man the swabbing facilities.

"Kailangan natin ng mga iba't ibang volunteers para tumulong sa napakalaking operasyon na ito sa ating napakalaking testing operasyon sa loob ng buwan ng Mayo. At tuloy-tuloy na po ito sa mga susunod na buwan," Dizon said.

(We need different volunteers to help us in this massive operation for our testing operations this May. And this will continue on in the coming months.)

The government official assured those planning to volunteer that their health will be protected as personal protective equipment will be adequately provided.

Volunteering will also be on a 6-hour shifting schedule with a mandatory 2-week quarantine after serving for half a month, Dizon said.

"We are exerting all efforts po na protektahan ang ating mga (to protect our) frontliners at nagtitiwala po tayo dito sa sistemang dinevelop ng DOH," he said.

(We trust this system developed by the DOH.)

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