MEGA SWABBING CENTER. Cabinet officials lead the inspection of the country's second mega swabbing center at the Enderun Tent in Taguig City on Wednesday (May 6, 2020). The swabbing center can conduct 1,000 to 1,500 swab tests daily, boosting the country’s health system capacities to detect, isolate, and treat Covid-19 patients. (Photo courtesy of DND Public Affairs Service)
MANILA – The Department of National Defense (DND) on Wednesday announced the opening of the country's second mega swabbing center at the Enderun Tent in Taguig City.
In a statement, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Department of Health (DOH) health workers will conduct the swabbing while personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines will undertake the encoding part in the operations.
“We will supply personnel as bar coders and encoders from the Armed Forces, who will be trained to assist the swabbers in the mega swabbing centers,” Lorenzana said.
Among those who graced the opening of the facility were Lorenzana, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año, national policy against Covid-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., deputy chief implementer Bases Conversion and Development Authority chief Vince Dizon and Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano.
The swabbing center can conduct 1,000 to 1,500 swab tests daily, boosting the country’s health system capacities to detect, isolate, and treat Covid-19 patients.
“(They have) exerted and mobilized resources to complement the national government’s efforts in ramping up our testing capacity in general, and in particular, to service the OFWS both land-based and sea-based,” Duque said.
The mega swabbing centers are initially intended to serve the returning overseas Filipino workers and the health workers.
The centers will eventually be utilized to expand targeted mass testing across Metro Manila.
On Tuesday, the first mega swabbing center opened at the Palacio de Maynila Tent along Roxas Boulevard.
The DOH eyes to increase the testing capacity to 8,000 daily this month and expand it further to 30,000 tests daily by May 30. (PNA)
