QC opens platform for free swab test

THE Quezon city government has opened an online platform wherein residents can book an appointment for free Covid-19 testing.

Mayor Josefina “Joy” Belmonte said through the platform, residents can report to the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) if they are close contacts of Covid-19 positive patients or if they are experiencing any symptoms.

“With this, we can be able to counter and contain the virus as

fast as we can and on all fronts,” she said.

Dr. Rolando Cruz, CESU head, said the appointment system was in addition to the on-ground contact tracing being done daily.

“We are continuously finding ways on how to strengthen and improve our testing efforts. And as we realize more residents are getting sick and need to confirm their status, we decided to expand this free swab service,” Cruz said.

To make an appointment, residents should fill out the reservation form found in http://bit. ly/QCfreetest. Once the form is submitted, a call further assessing the resident’s condition will be made by the community-based testing verifier.

A confirmation text will be sent notifying the resident of the schedule of his swab test, Cruz said. Swab testing is strictly by appointment.

“Due to the volume of people we need to test and the limitation in our test kits supply per day, we have to allocate our resources to those who need it the most,” Cruz said.

Residents who will be prioritized for the swab testing are those who were exposed to Covidpositive patients, those who are experiencing symptoms, pregnant, dialysis patients and those who will undergo medical operations and need Covid-19 test results.