PSA: Manila Now Has a FREE COVID Drive-Thru Testing Center

PSA: Manila Now Has a FREE COVID Drive-Thru Testing Center

It's located near the Andres Bonifacio monument in Lawton.
by Kyzia Maramara | July 17, 2020

It’s heartening to see that many local government units are doing their best to answer the public’s demand for mass testing. The office of Manila Mayor Isko Moreno on Wednesday announced that they have opened a drive-thru testing area for COVID-19 free of charge.

The center is located in front of the Andres Bonifacio Monument in Lawton, Manila. It’s open for both motorized and non-motorized vehicles from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays to Fridays. The procedure is open for residents and non-residents of Manila; to get a teest, all you need to bring is a valid government ID and their own pen for signing forms.

The Wednesday opening created a minor traffic situation around the area when it was flocked by vehicles with passengers wanting to be tested. Mayor Isko concluded from the event that thousands of Filipinos are willing to be tested; they just haven’t been given access to affordable coronavirus testing.

Rapid tests or antibody testing will be conducted at the drive-thru. This is one of two ways a person can be examined for COVID-19, the other is the more accurate swab test or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. But for the drive-thru centers, medical practitioners will be collecting blood samples in a procedure that will only take about two minutes.

The samples will be processed by the city government’s COVID-19 serology testing machines, which are reported to have an accuracy rate of 99.6%. However, once an individual tests positive, they will still have to undergo PCR testing.

Mayor Isko also added that he and his team are looking to open another drive-thru testing center, particularly naming the wide grounds of the Quirino Grandstand.

Other drive-thru testing facilities in the Metro can be located at The Medical City in Pasig City, St. Luke’s Medical Center Global City, St. Luke’s Medical Center Quezon City, Lakeshore City and Bonifacio Global City drive-thru testing site, and Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City.

Those who wish to be tested but don’t have vehicles can visit select hospitals and centers where serology testing machines are installed.