MANILA, Philippines — The office of Vice President Leni Robredo will deploy “Swab Cab,” a mobile COVID-19 testing program, to offer free antigen tests to residents in selected communities in Metro Manila.
It will be piloted in Malabon City from March 30 to April 6, in partnership with Kaya Natin Movement and Ube Express.
“Swab Cab is a mass surveillance testing in communities where transmission of the virus is very high.”
vice president leni robredo
She said her office has tapped Ube Express and Kaya Natin to help the government amid a spike in COVID-19 cases.
Those who will test positive will be isolated and undergo reverse RT-PCR test, Robredo said.
“With surveillance testing, we will look for those who are COVID-19-positive but do not manifest symptoms,” she said.
The project will be made possible under Robredo’s anti-poverty program Angat Buhay, with assistance from private foundation Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership, and UBE Express, which her office previously partnered with to provide free shuttle service for medical frontliners.
“Magpo-provide tayo ng mobile na parang bus, pupunta doon sa mga communities na grabe iyong transmission, pero may partnership with the LGU kasi iyong mag-a-identify noong mga communities iyong mga LGU mismo, pati iyong kung sino mismo iyong isa-swab.”
“I hope this will help in addressing the high transmission rates because we no longer know who are the carriers of the virus and who are not,” she added.
Source: CNN Philippines, Philstar