Mobile testing centers to be set up in Quezon City

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has partnered with the Quezon City government for the establishment of mobile testing centers for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the city.

Mayor Joy Belmonte expressed gratitude to the PRC, led by Sen. Richard Gordon, for choosing the city as the pilot site of its COVID-19 mobile testing project.

She said this would be a huge boost in their efforts to halt the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the city, which has so far infected 476 residents, based on the data from the Department of Health (DOH).

Under the agreement, the PRC would put up multiple testing sites in areas to be identified by the city’s health department.

“All the test samples will be gathered and handed to Red Cross for proper testing,” said Belmonte, adding that persons under investigation will be prioritized for testing.

Gordon, in a statement issued by the local government, said the PRC chose Quezon City as the pilot area for its mobile testing program because of its dense population and due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in the city.

He said testing could begin next week using two machines that can each produce 1,500 test results per day.

The city government said it has validated 188 of the 476 cases reported by the DOH. Thirty-four residents have died while 14 have recovered.