The Department of Health (DOH) reminded the public that there are no approved self-administered saliva test kits to detect coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the country.
“Wala pang inaaprubahan ang [Food and Drug Administration] sa ganito. Hintayin natin ang FDA,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a media briefing.
Even with the FDA’s nod, Vergeire explained that the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) will need to give its final approval before the test will be allowed.
“The final protocol would be from the RITM. Sila ang nagbibigay ng guidelines kung paano natin gagamitin at kung acceptable talaga yung specificity and sensitivity or the accuracy of these different types of testing methodologies,” she said.
The DOH, however, has already released its guidelines on the use and administration of saliva-based Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) for Covid-19.
Only RITM-certified and licensed Covid-19 testing laboratories are allowed to perform the saliva tests. Ronald dela Cruz