Get swab tests to protect families, co-workers: Año

MANILA – Persons who exhibit symptoms of the coronavirus or are close contacts of infected individuals should get tested to protect their families and co-workers, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said.

Año said getting a swab test is the best option than costly hospitalization or even death.

"It would be more dangerous if they refuse to get a swab test because if they turned out positive, they could infect their families and co-workers without them knowing about it. Once they get hospitalized, along with the family members they have infected, their medical bills could run in the millions of pesos, and worse of all, they could die," he said in Filipino in a text message Tuesday.

Año was the first Cabinet member to contract the disease, testing positive for the coronavirus twice, in March and August last year.

He said the pandemic would not be controlled if people would keep avoiding swab tests, in reaction to reports that some people are doing away with RT-PCR tests because of its "inconvenience".