By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The test results of the individuals who have undergone swab tests in the cities of Bago, Silay and Talisay, and the town of Murcia during the mass testing for coronavirus disease 2019, or Covid-19, on August 30-31 “timeout weekend” are set to be released within the week.

A total of 315 residents of Silay City and 725 residents of Talisay City participated in the mass testing on August 30, according to Provincial Board member Ryan Gamboa, who is also the chapter president of the Philippine Councilors League-Negros Occidental.

They were followed on August 31 by an estimated 800 residents from Bago City and 600 from Murcia town.

According to Gamboa, the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital (TLJPH) molecular laboratory could release the test results in six to seven days.

TLJHPH has been certified by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) to perform independent testing for Covid-19 by real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Meanwhile, in Bacolod City, 4,384 residents from 61 barangays submitted themselves to free Covid-19 testing during the two-day “O-Plan: One-Time Big-Time Mass Testing” program of the city government on August 28 to 29, including the August 27 dry run.

Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia said the mass testing of the city’s residents was still an overall success despite falling short of the targeted 5,000 individuals.

Leonardia thanked the cooperation of the residents, those who have submitted themselves for testing, and the participation of various government agencies in implementing the mass testing.

The proactive measure will help authorities determine how widespread the viral disease has become, the mayor said./DB, WDJ