CAINTA, Rizal- The municipality of Cainta opened its newest coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing facility for its residents as part of its continuing efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease.

Mayor Johnielle Keith Nieto told Manila Bulletin that the Antigen Testing Facility Center located at the Liwasang Bayan is one of the town’s strategies “to flatten the curve.”

Mayor Nieto posted on Facebook that the initial tests on patients last week have resulted in 100 percent ‘specificity.’ All patients who tested positive in the Antigen Rapid Diagnostic Test also tested positive with RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) testing.

Nieto said the test is free for residents including walk-ins.

The requesting person shall first fill up the health declaration form, and the Antigen Test Application Form.

Those who have been diagnosed early through the antigen test, can be ‘isolated, quarantined, and treated accordingly,’ Nieto said.

Dr. Francisco San Diego of the Cainta Municipal Hospital, the person-in-charge of the testing facility told Manila Bulletin that the Antigen testing is recommended only for those who have symptoms during the first 5 days, those who have been exposed to a COVID-19 patient but are pre-symptomatic or those who are still waiting for the confirmatory RT-PCR test results.

The municipal government targets to test health care workers and those living in  communities with “cluster outbreak setting.”

Of the 80 persons who were tested on September 28 alone using the Antigen test (through swabbing), nine tested positive, San Diego said.

Nieto said the local government spends from P400 to P500 per test per individual.  The result is released about 30 minutes after swabbing making the COVID screening, “fast, reliable and efficient.”