COVID-19 Consumer News

Mass Testing Facilities in Subic Will Open to the Public Soon

Subic is gearing up to offer mass testing.

By: Antonette Louise Guiao | May 18, 2020
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Testing Facilities, COVID-19, Subic Bay, mass testing, Philippine Red Cross, Subic

Swab booths will soon be open to patients, frontliners, and residents.


The number of COVID-19 cases in the country is yet to be flattened. Several actions are being done to curb the rise of cases, and one of these is mass testing. Mass testing means rapidly testing a huge percentage of the country’s population in order to identify those who are infected with the virus. To successfully push through with this process, local government units in different parts of the country have identified places that will be used as testing facilities. These facilities will be home to equipment and technology that will help test out a large scale of people.

One of the places preparing for mass testing is Subic Bay Freeport Zone. Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma Eisma said that SBMA has partnered with the Philippine Red Cross to provide mass testing facilities and services for the residents and surrounding communities in the area. The SBMA-PRC mass testing program will be open to the public, but suspect cases, probable cases, and frontliners will be prioritized.

Two buildings at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone main gate were retrofitted to house at least six telephone booth-type swabbing areas. These buildings are now 99% structurally finished, complete with additional air-conditioning. This is where health workers will take swab samples from patients. All collected samples will be taken to the Philippine Red Cross Molecular Laboratory which houses the equipment for testing. The Red Cross Testing Facility will be equipped with technology for fast testing. These equipment include an automated RNA extraction machine that can run 90 samples per hour and two PCR machines that can each process 1,000 samples a day.



Eisma mentioned that the SBMA is closely working on a scheme with the Philippine Red Cross so that the public can use the Red Cross hotline 1158 in scheduling appointments for testing. She also added that the mass testing program can help authorities in the Greater Subic Bay, Bataan, Olongapo, and Zambales areas get accurate data on the cases of COVID-19. This will make separation and isolation of COVID-19 positive patients easier.


Go to Yoorekka for more COVID-19 updates in Subic.
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About Antonette Louise Guiao
Antonette is a writer, a night owl, an extrovert, and a BTS ARMY. Her spare time is consumed by drawing digital vector art, sleeping, binge-watching Netflix series, and learning how to cook. An adventurer by heart, she aspires to travel the world with her family, try extreme outdoor activities, and taste all sorts of food in different countries.
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Disclaimer: All articles in the Consumers Magazine of Yoorekka are for general information and entertainment purposes only. Although careful research has been made in writing them, Yoorekka does not make any warranty about the completeness and accuracy of all information presented in our articles. Our content is not intended to be used in place of legal, medical, or any professional advice.
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