The Office of the Vice President (OVP) has set up four swabbing booths in Cebu City to aid in the testing of suspected coronavirus patients.
This is the latest initiative that the OVP has extended to the city as part of its COVID-19 response operations.
The use of testing booths to take swab samples will lessen the exposure of health workers to droplets from people infected with virus.
“Ang turn over nito this week kasi nakasakay siya sa barko, kakarating lang. Mayroon na tayong beneficiaries (Its turn over is set this week because the ship carrying them just arrived. We already have beneficiaries),” Vice President Leni Robredo said.
Robredo’s office identified the Cebu hospitals and clinics that will receive the swabbing booths namely: Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Cebu Doctor Hospital, West Cebu Clustered Clinic Swab Center.
These swabbing booths were donated by OVP’s Angat Buhay partners.
The vice president said she would also source locally-made personal protective equipment (PPEs) for medical personnel and other frontliners in Cebu City.
“Natatagalan lang ito sa umpisa kasi kailangan isiguro na ma-test iyong quality, tela, design, etc. pero may kausap na tayong communities (This may take a while at first because its quality, fabric, design, etc. have to be tested, but we have already talked to the communities),” she said.
As of now, Robredo’s team and its private partners have provided seven free dormitories, ferry and shuttle service to aid Cebu frontliners in the fight against COVID-19.
Last week, they visited communities in San Nicolas and San Roque Ciudad, Cebu for the distribution of food packs to affected families.