Labella: Swab testing to continue in brgys with most COVID-19 cases, rapid testing in other brgys

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Swab testing in barangays which recorded the most number of the infection will continue even if the Cebu City government will already start with the mass rapid testing on Wednesday, said Mayor Edgardo Labella.

Labella said that swab testing will not be stopped because this has been proven effective in detecting cases of the infection especially in Baranagays Mambaling, Luz and Labangon that now top the city’s list of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.

As a result of the continuous swab testing, the city government already logged 251 cases of the infection in Barangay Mambaling with two fatalities based on its May 4, 2020 data.

Second, on its list is Barangay Luz with 192 COVID-19 cases followed by Labangon with 125 cases.

But unlike, Barangays Luz and Labangon that will already be excluded in the Rapid antibody Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) for coronavirus disease 2019 as provided for in Executive Order No. 75 which Labella signed earlier today, rapid testing will still be done in Barangay Mambaling together with the swab testing, said the city’s Public Information Office (PIO).

The PIO said that the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) did not yet issue a recommendation for Mambaling’s exemption from EO No. 75 when it was signed by Labella.

Labella said that swab testing will be used especially for contact tracing while the mass rapid test will be administered on randomly selected barangay residents.

“Kung dili tungod sa mass testing, dili ta makahibaw nga kanang naglakaw-lakaw sa gawas, naa na diay postiive. Dili nato hunungon ang mass testing bisag lisod paminawn ang kadaghang cases,” said the mayor in a press conference on May 5, 2020.

(Had it not been for the mass testing, we will not know who among those individuals who are walking outside are carriers of the infection.  We will not stop the mass testing even if this will mean the continued increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the city.)

Labella said the fight against COVID-19 requires information on how vast and fast the virus has spread in the city.  These questions, he said, can especially be addressed by the outcome of the swab testing. / dcb