Ruffa Gutierrez finds swab tests ‘kind of painful’

Ruffa Gutierrez on the set of ‘Stay in Love’

Taking a swab test for COVID-19 is something that one will never get used to. Take it from actress Ruffa Gutierrez who has experienced this several times since the start of the lockdown in March.

“My nose is so kawawa! My first swab test was when we had everyone in our house tested. My mom (Annabel Rama) said we had to do it, even though I never went out prior to the lockdown. She said it was to make sure everyone is OK,” Ruffa told Inquirer Entertainment.

The test requires inserting a 6-inch-long swab into the cavity of the nose and mouth for 15 seconds in order to collect nasal specimens.

Ruffa said she also got swab tested every time she went into the lock-in set of a particular project and also upon exit. She has already been part of two lock-in set productions (“Love thy Woman” and “The House Arrest of Us”), and is currently in another for the TV5 series “Stay in Love” with Maris Racal and Kokoy de Santos.

“You also do this when you’re feeling sick, and when you have to go to the dentist,” she explained.

“It’s kind of painful. While I’ve encountered health workers who have already mastered doing it, there were also those who seemed to be taking their sweet time with the swab in there,” she said, laughing. “I’m just thankful that it’s always negative when I get the results. What happens these days is that when you test positive, you’re automatically taken out of a project.”

Ruffa further said: “Even if it’s an inconvenience, it’s needed talaga. You have to make sure that everyone is healthy and safe. Even though you wear masks during rehearsals, you will still need to take them off during takes.”

“Actually, I still have to get used to all the protocols that we have on the set, especially the fact that we all have to bring your own stuff,” she added. “It’s much more work (taping) because you have very limited people with you, but it’s better because you know everyone is safe.”