TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan – The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Isabela Molecular Laboratory has received a green light from the government to start conducting saliva testing for COVID-19.
According to PRC Isabela Chapter Administrator Josie Stephanie Cabrera, 164 individuals have been tested since last week. She said that the laboratory is expecting more patients to undergo saliva tests due as it is a non-invasive and less stringent alternative to swab test.
“The saliva test does not require for a specimen collector to wear full personal protective equipment, and it is cheaper as it uses less equipment and reagents,” Cabrera said.
PRC’s COVID-19 saliva test costs P2,000 while the RT-PCR test costs around P3,800 to P5,000.
According to PRC lead researcher Michael Tee, the saliva COVID-19 test’s accuracy rate is 98.23 percent. TNF