Barely a week since opening the first drive-thru testing site at Plaza Lawton, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso has opened another drive-thru at Quirino Grandstand, where anyone can get tested for free.
[READ: PSA: Anyone can drive-thru this Manila City, COVID-19 testing site, even nonresidents]
With a bigger venue, the new site can process up to 700 tests per day, almost four times more than the capacity of the first one.
On its soft launch last Saturday, it was able to test over 400 people. Both locations will be operational from Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
However, in a new statement, Domagoso said they will need donations to sustain its operations, especially to buy more reagents needed to test more blood samples taken from patients.
As of writing, both locations accept anyone, even non-Manila residents as long as they present a valid ID. “I want every Manileño to be good people to others, like how Manila is trying to be a good neighbor to other cities,” Domagoso said. Last week, to welcome more people in the testing site, they allowed other vehicles other than cars like pedicabs and bicycles.
[READ: The public is willing to get tested for COVID-19 if it’s free and accessible, Isko Moreno says]
Today, Manila also opened a walk-in testing center at the Ospital ng Sampaloc, one of the three hospitals where blood samples are tested using serology machines. These machines detect the presence of the IgG antibody for SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.
The Manila Health Department sends test results through text message within 24 hours, while the results of Manila residents are delivered to their homes. For non-Manila residents, certification can be picked up at the releasing lane at the Quirino Grandstand testing site.
Header photo courtesy of Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso Facebook page
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