CALOOCAN CITY, June 29 (PIA) -- The Quezon City government has unveiled its own mobile community testing unit, which will enable it to expand its testing capabilities as part of efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
During its launch, Mayor Joy Belmonte said the modified truck will help complement the city’s strategy of tracing, isolating and testing more residents from various communities.
“With this mobile testing unit, our team can further its efforts in testing more people who need to be isolated immediately,” Belmonte said.
Sponsored by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Quezon City (PCCI-QC), the mobile testing unit will be managed by the Quezon City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (QC-ESU) of the City Health Department.
“We will use this mobile testing unit to test areas with high attack rate, high active cases, and also those areas that are under special concern lockdown,” said QC-ESU head Dr. Rolly Cruz.
Barangay officials and other barangay frontliners will also be prioritized in the testing unit.
The truck will be manned by three to five people and can conduct rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. It has a generator, a mini laboratory, negative pressure, and a self-decontamination area.
Joseph Juico, community testing project manager, expressed appreciation to the support of PCCI-QC in the city’s battle against the pandemic.
“We welcome these donations as an excellent addition to the city-wide efforts of the local government against COVID-19,” Juico said.
Juico added that the mobile testing unit will be able to cover more areas and will be easier to set-up because of lesser logistical requirements.
The city government has beefed up its strategy against COVID-19 by hiring more than 300 contact tracers and health care workers. Additional quarantine facilities are also being prepared for patients. (QC PAISD/PIA-NCR)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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