Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Orders Rapid Testing to Contain Covid-19

Mayor Junard Chan has ordered a rapid mass testing in the villages of Lapu-Lapu City in a bid to identify areas that need containment measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Chan said he came up with the decision to conduct a rapid test on 10 percent of the “household population” in the city after 28 of 34 individuals who tested positive of Covid-19 as of Monday are all asymptomatic.

“Right now, we have 34 individuals who are found positive of coronavirus. Only six of them are showing manifestation of symptoms like fever, cough, running nose, sore throat, and others,” Chan said in Cebuano in a virtual presser on Monday night.

The data, Chan said, is alarming because the majority of those found positive are asymptomatic.

Rapid testing, he said, would be the primary test to be done in screening individuals suspected of having infected with the novel coronavirus.

“In case a person is found positive in the rapid testing, it does not mean he will be considered right away as a confirmed case of Covid-19. He will still undergo the second test which is the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test,” he said.

Chan said PCR is an expensive test but the city government will shoulder the cost in testing patients using this type of Covid-19 test.

“It’s for free. And you don’t need to worry because you don’t need to pay for the test,” he stressed.

He said positive patients that have no symptoms will be brought to isolation rooms for treatment.

The facility will have watchers who will secure the area round-the-clock and will be equipped with comfortable sleeping bed and Wifi connection so that the patient can still connect to his family and community and even continue to work while undergoing isolation, he said.

“I appeal for your cooperation. If we will not do this rapid testing, we will keep extending our enhanced community quarantine and this will make the city government run out of resources,” Chan said.

Aside from the 34 confirmed Covid-19 cases, the city government also reported three new individuals who already tested “laboratory negative” of the virus, bringing the total number of persons who recovered from the disease to five. (PNA)