PGH Introduces ‘Walk-Thru or Drive-Thru’ Outpatient Swab Testing Center

In a virtual town hall meeting hosted by the University of the Philippines on Friday, August 21, Philippine General Hospital Director Gerardo Legaspi discussed the establishment of an outpatient swabbing service at PGH.

The said set-up is open-air and is accessible via “walk-thru” or “drive-thru.” Dr. Legaspi also mentioned that in most of their cases, they are able to procure results in 24 hours. With the help of BD Max Units donated by ABS-CBN, however, results can be released in as early as three hours.

During the same virtual meeting, the PGH director also reiterated the importance of contact tracing in the country’s battle against COVID-19, saying that it does not start when someone is found to be positive of COVID-19, but rather when officials hear of the exposure of healthcare workers to COVID-19.

Dr. Legaspi also mentioned that reporting is the “essence of a good contact tracing system” and advised health care workers to report as soon as they suspect that they have been exposed to the virus. Head nurses are also encouraged to facilitate and assist with the actual process of tracing contacts of individuals suspected of COVID-19 exposure.

The director also reminded listeners that testing for COVID-19 is “just a point in time,” saying that testing negative for the virus today does not mean that one will also test negative in the coming days.