Red Cross starts offering COVID-19 testing using saliva specimen

Laboratories of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) are now open to conduct COVID-19 tests using saliva samples, PRC Molecular Laboratory head Dr. Paulyn Ubial said on Monday.

Interviewed on GMA Network’s Unang Hirit, Ubial said the test can be availed of through online booking or walk-in service.

“Meron tayong online booking pero tumatanggap kami ngayon, as of this week siguro, ng walk-in,” Ubial said.

Those interested may book a slot via the PRC website. 

“Ito ay available sa ating molecular laboratories sa Mandaluyong sa may Pinatubo St. at saka dito sa Port Area sa Manila,” she added.

On Saturday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the Department of Health already approved the use of saliva as alternative specimen in COVID-19 tests in PRC laboratories.

Vergeire, however, noted that the DOH will wait for the validation test results from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine before allowing saliva test in other laboratories in the country.

According to Ubial, the organization’s latest study on the new method of testing for COVID-19 diagnosis yielded 98% accuracy.

Running a test on a sample would take three to four hours. The process however takes longer with more samples in line.

“Hindi po kami makaka-promise na agad-agad kasi depende sa volume. Pero ang commitment po ng Red Cross, less than 24 hours,” Ubial said.

She advised those who will undergo the test to avoid eating, drinking, smoking, gargling, and brushing teeth 30 minutes before the collection of saliva.

According to Ubial, the PRC charges P2,000 for the COVID-19 test using saliva specimens.

“Sa ngayon po, hindi pa puwedeng i-charge sa PhilHealth kasi hindi pa ho gumagawa ng benefit package ang PhilHealth so antayin na lang po natin. Sa palagay namin sa ilang mga araw ay lalabas na rin,” she added.

February opening

In a separate interview on Dobol B sa News TV, Ubial said the PRC targets to open the COVID-19 test using saliva samples in all of their laboratories across the country on February 5.

The PRC laboratories outside Metro Manila are located in Isabela, Clark, Subic, Batangas, Bacolod, Cebu, Iloilo, Zamboanga, Cagayan De Oro, and Surigao, she said.

When all the PRC laboratories start to operate, Ubial said the organization can run up to 22,000 tests per day. In its laboratories in Metro Manila, the PRC can run 8,000 per day.

Earlier, the DOH said it has been coordinating with the PRC for the use of the saliva tests in detecting COVID-19 since September.

“Tumagal 'yung proseso kasi ilang beses po kami kailangan mag-present sa DOH (kahit) na tanggap na po sa ibang bansa itong testing na 'to,” Ubial said.

This COVID-19 testing method is also used in the United States, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, according to Ubial.

According to PRC, saliva testing is a faster, easier, and cheaper alternative to the swab test as it is simpler and requires less processing.

Earlier, Senator and PRC chairman Richard Gordon clarified that the saliva test for the detection of COVID-19 will still use the same RT-PCR technology that is being used for the swab test. —KG/RSJ, GMA News