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Manila Bulletin devider Lifestyle devider The Medical City opens another drive-thru swab testing facility

The Medical City opens another drive-thru swab testing facility

Published Aug 21, 2020 08:58 pm

Photos by Kevin Tristan Espiritu

A medical technologist swabs a client inside the vehicle in a drive-thru swab

As the number of Covid-19 cases continues to soar in the country, everything counts, from the health experts to test kits to testing facilities. Testing is a critical component to help control the spread of the virus.

The Medical City (TMC) establishes yet another drive-thru testing site to address the pandemic. Using the gold standard RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) test, the premier health institution has presented patients a convenient and safe method to get tested while limiting exposure to others. The new testing site is located at the Basement 1 exit (MD Camacho Road) of TMC Main in Ortigas, Pasig.

Medical workers stay inside the booth as they wait for clients on a drive-thru swab

This test uses actual swabs taken from the nose and throats of patients to detect if a person has the coronavirus. Real-time RT-PCR tests do not detect previous infection, only an ongoing disease, meaning it is used as confirmatory tests for Covid-19.

Testing is a critical component to help control the spread of the virus

Healthcare professionals following globally accepted protocols conduct the test. The actual swabs are then sent to the TMC laboratory, one of the licensed Covid-19 testing laboratories in the Philippines.

RT-PCR test at the TMC drive-thru is strictly by appointment only. Those who want to be tested may visit themedicalcity.com/covidtest. It costs P6,000 and the result will be sent thru email within 48 to 72 hours. The testing site is open every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In July, the tertiary health care organization launched its drive thru Covid testing using Enhanced Chemiluminiscence Antibody (ECLIA) test, which detects antibodies produced in patient’s blood as a result of Covid-19 infection. The serology test has a specificity and sensitivity of 100 percent.

A medical technologist collects specimen from a client in a drive-thru swab testing center

Antibody testing, such as ECLIA, however, is not the gold standard for diagnosis. In symptomatic patients, molecular testing is still the best means to confirm infection.

“As an added tool to assess patients, antibody testing may be considered in combination with RT-PCR since onset of community exposure may be difficult to ascertain. Those who wish to donate convalescent plasma would necessarily need to be tested. As with all diagnostic tests, it is best that a physician determine if and when a test is needed, while knowing the explanation for the different result combinations in the context of the clinical history and other findings,” said Dr. Arvin Faundo, consultant director for Immunology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, TMC.

What happens inside the tent

The ECLIA test drive-thru site located at the back of TMC Main is open every day from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

To know more about the drive thru testing sites click here.

89881000 | 89887000.

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The Medical City drive-thru reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction Pasig covid-19 Philippines
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