BACOLOD City – Starting next month, the molecular laboratory of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) here will be using saliva as an alternative specimen for reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test.
City Administrator Em Ang said the PRC-Bacolod will start its saliva-based coronavirus testing on Feb. 5 after getting the nod of the Department of Health (DOH).
The tests are less invasive than the RT-PCR swab test and are cheaper, according to Ang, also the executive director of the city government’s Emergency Operations Center.
The sample processing time is shorter compared to other tests as it runs only for three to four hours.
DOH’s approval came after the PRC completed the pilot study, involving 1,000 samples for a full review, where 17 positive cases were detected while nine were detected through swabbing.
But PRC-Baoclod chief Jay Jalandoni said the saliva-based test should solely be done by PRC laboratories for now. It costs P2,000 but the price may decrease if more people would avail themselves of the test.
“All one has to do is spit into a bag that will then be sealed and submitted to a medical technician for testing,” Jalandoni said.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson of Negros Occidental said if the saliva tests are accurate, the province would also use these at the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital laboratory in Silay City./PN
