By Richa Noriega
The city of Taguig is set to launch barangay-based and drive-thru testing on Wednesday, to combat the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
In a statement, Taguig Mayor Lino Cayetano said the new initiatives will increase the number of tests conducted under the city’s innovational Systematic Mass Approach to Responsible Testing (SMART), which so far has tested 1,000 individuals through its on-call service.
According to the city government, it will train 31 health centers and three “Super Health Centers” to conduct COVID-19 testing in the barangays where they operate.
The service will be available in temporary testing facilities set up in Bonifacio Global City in Barangay Fort Bonifacio and Taguig Lakeshore in Barangay Lower Bicutan, it added.
“In doing this, we are capturing the real breadth of COVID-19 infections in the city, normalizing testing, and taking away the stigma around the infection,” Cayetano said.
The city government also added new partner laboratories, in agreement with Department of Health (DOH) and Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).