The Medical City (TMC) in Pasig opened on Wednesday (July 8) a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site "to contribute to better diagnosis and treatment of COVID patients, as well as in bolstering our research and population data for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic," the institution wrote in a Facebook post.
In an interview over GMA News' Stand for Truth, TMC division head Lawrence Sibayan said the drive-thru testings or ECLIA are "the best alternative option" today for COVID testing, "other than RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction)."
"We wanted something that fast, convenient, and reliable," Sibayan added.
The Medical City is the first to offer the ECLIA or electrochemiluminescence immunoassay antibody test. ECLIA uses blood samples and the results will be ready in 24 hours.
TMC encourages everyone who believes they have been exposed to COVID-19 or those seeking health clearance for work or travel to take the ECLIA test.
The drive-thru center is open Mondays to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH) in Ortigas, Pasig.