President Rodrigo Duterte backs the use of saliva test to detect COVID-19, whose results is deemed to be as reliable as the widely used RT-PCR test.
The President shared that, for him, the PCR test is not only painful but also uncomfortable.
“I couldn’t help cursing every time my nasal cavity is probed because it hurts,” said the President Duterte during his address to the nation on Monday night.
Duterte cited Sen. Richard Gordon’s statement that saliva swabbing is 99 percent reliable.
Earlier, Gordon said the Philippine Red Cross is eyeing to introduce saliva test as another option, in order to reduce the cost of COVID-19 testing in the country.
COVID-19 czar Sec. Vince Dizon said the proposal to use saliva test has already been submitted to the Department of Health. He expressed his confidence that the health department would expedite its approval.
Meanwhile, two local studies in the country have confirmed efficacy of saliva test in COVID-19 detection. However, both the studies are still in their initial stages.
The health department said the results of the two studies will be assessed by the COVID-19 Laboratory Expert Panel (CLEP) and the Health Technology Assessment Council, in order to help the DOH develop an evidence-based policy on the use of saliva as an alternative specimen for coronavirus testing.
