Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Monday urged residents to avail themselves of free swab tests upon learning that several pregnant women gave birth in tricycles and other unsuitable environments due to the absence of swab tests, which is a required protocol of hospitals prior to admission.
“I would like to remind QC citizens, especially those with scheduled procedures at the hospital or those who are about to give birth, to avail of the free swab test,” she said.
“We are offering this for free to ease your burden for those who need to be hospitalized,” she added.
According to CESU head Dr. Rolando Cruz, residents who want to undergo free COVID-19 testing can book an appointment online through http://bit.ly/QCfreetest.
“Swab testing is strictly by appointment and no walk-ins are allowed to avoid overcrowding. This is also due to the limited supply of daily test kits allocated for this purpose,” Cruz said.
In addition to pregnant women and residents who plan to undergo medical operations and procedures such as dialysis, prioritized for swab testing are close contacts of COVID-positive patients and persons experiencing symptoms.
“For pregnant women, we remind them to be conscious of their delivery date when booking a schedule for swab testing to avoid any unforeseen circumstances. This is free, so we encourage them to avail of the service,” he added.
A test result is valid for 14 days just in case the due date of a birthing mother has lapsed, he added.
