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4 Angel pantry attendees undergo swab test; 1 symptomatic

By Marita Moaje

April 28, 2021, 8:03 pm

<p><strong>FREE TESTS.</strong> The Quezon City government reiterated its call on Wednesday (April 28, 2021) to all those who went to the community pantry organized by actress Angel Locsin to have themselves tested. Covid-19 infection usually manifests after five days, experts said. <em>(Photo courtesy of Radyo Pilipinas)</em></p>

FREE TESTS. The Quezon City government reiterated its call on Wednesday (April 28, 2021) to all those who went to the community pantry organized by actress Angel Locsin to have themselves tested. Covid-19 infection usually manifests after five days, experts said. (Photo courtesy of Radyo Pilipinas)

MANILA – An attendee of the controversial community pantry of actress Angel Locsin is exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms while three others who availed of free tests offered by the Quezon City government are asymptomatic.

“The average incubation period for Covid-19 is approximately five days. So we call on everyone who went to last Friday’s gathering, please report to us and have yourself tested. If there was a transmission and you were exposed, you may observe some symptoms manifesting starting today,” Dr. Rolando Cruz, chief of the City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (CESU), said in an interview on Wednesday.

One of the attendees who got tested is experiencing headache and loss of smell and taste, a Radyo PIlipinas report said.

As of Tuesday, Cruz said they have conducted free swab tests on just four individuals who sought CESU’s services as they were among the thousands who went to the event.

The city government said it does not have the personal data of those who went to Locsin’s pantry, organized to mark her 36th birthday.

Five days after the April 23 event in Barangay Holy Spirit, marred by the death of a male 67-year-old vendor after queuing for hours, the local government reiterated its call for those who lined up to undergo reverse transcription-polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests.

Barangay Holy Spirit Chair Felicito Valmocina was already approached by more individuals who went to the pantry and wanted to be tested, according to CESU.

The Quezon City Police Department is also looking into the possibility of Locsin's liability, the city government said.

The city’s free RT-PCR test is for all residents, not only for those who went to Locsin’s community pantry.

Appointments can be made at http://bit.ly/QCfreetest; through the CESU Facebook account facebook.com/QCEpidemiologyDiseaseSurveillance/; or by calling hotlines 8703-2759, 8703-4398, 0916-122-8628, 0908-639-8086, and 0931-095-7737.

CESU is receiving an average of 950 swab test requests daily and performs 600 tests per day.

"The city screens individuals who can avail of the free swab services so we can allocate our supplies to those who need them most,” Cruz said.

For now, CESU is prioritizing residents who went to Locsin’s community pantry, their close contacts or those who were exposed to positive patients, experiencing symptoms, pregnant, dialysis patients, and those who will undergo medical operations and need Covid-19 test results. (PNA)



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