The Quezon City government has expanded its free testing program under the City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (CESU) to be able to cope with the volume of individuals who would want to learn their COVID-19 status at the soonest possible time for immediate action.
To strengthen CESU’s capacity to test would allow the city government to detect cases faster, prevent the virus from spreading, and respond to the needs of residents accordingly.
Dr. Rolando Cruz, CESU chief, said the city recently beefed up its testing capacity with the acquisition of 100,000 rapid antigen test kits and continued collaboration with the Philippine National Red Cross for the expanded allocation of RT-PCR test kits.
He announced that the local government has established additional community-based testing centers that are strategically located in each congressional district to accommodate and identify more residents who might have the virus.
“CESU-initiated testing centers have been operating since last year and have been offering free testing to mostly symptomatic, close contacts and persons needing hospitalization as part of the protocol. Each testing center is equipped with swab booths and can accommodate between 100 and 200 individuals per day,” he said.
He also reminded residents to book their appointments through the online Reservation Form via http://bit.ly/QCfreetest as walk-ins are not entertained.
CESU has also partnered with councilors, congressmen, and philanthropists to conduct free rapid antigen testing in different communities daily.
The city government continues to conduct active surveillance in different offices and agencies under Kyusi-Industriya I.W.A.S (Industry-Wide Active Surveillance) sa COVID-19. CESU offers free routine swab testing to thousands of employees.
