The City Government of Taguig launched its barangay-based “drive-thru” COVID-19 testing today, Apr. 22, for persons assessed and recommended for testing by health professionals.

The new initiative is under the city’s Systematic Mass Approach to Responsible Testing (SMART) which has so far tested nearly 1,000 individuals through its on-call COVID-19 service wherein mobile teams of health workers would collect swabs from possible COVID-19 patients in their homes.

“This new step is part of that holistic approach. We see mass testing as a crucial and proactive step, one that we think will benefit the city even beyond the ECQ,” said Taguig city Mayor Lino Cayetano in an interview.

The new testing sites have reportedly been set up in Bonifacio Global City in Brgy. Fort Bonifacio and Taguig Lakeshore in Brgy. Lower Bicutan. The initiative will expand to cover recovering COVID-19 patients, persons exhibiting flu-like symptoms, frontline workers, people who may have interacted with confirmed cases and those who are more vulnerable to the virus such as pregnant women, elderly individuals and persons with co-morbidities.

A separate release from the city government’s official Facebook page also read that “Those who find the health centers inaccessible but have personal vehicles at their disposal may undertake the drive-thru testing.”

The city government says it will train the personnel from its 31 health centers and three “Super Health Centers” to conduct COVID-19 testing in the barangays where they operate, with Cayetano adding that barangay health workers are also going around to assess residents.

If the assigned health workers rule that a certain patient needs to undergo a test, they will be brought to the health center by a deputized tricycle driver and will be brought back home afterwards.

“In doing this, we are capturing the real breadth of COVID-19 infections in the city, normalizing testing and taking away the stigma around the infection,” said Cayetano.

Furthermore he also shares that he and other Metro Manila mayors have been in close coordination in curbing the spread of the disease, saying: “I think all of us are headed towards the same direction.”

As of writing, there are 211 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Taguig City and 6,559 in the whole country.

Header photo courtesy of Taguig City Government’s Official Facebook page

Get more stories like this by subscribing to our weekly newsletter here.

These LGUs are doing their best against COVID-19–the national government should take notes

QC will now use swabbing booths to test for COVID-19