BY JEFFREY DAMICOG
The government will not dissuade the use of rapid antibody tests amid calls to stop its use in checking persons for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Wednesday.
“I think it should not be discouraged because it still produces results that we want which is to find out who among our population is afflicted with the disease,” he explained during an interview over CNN Philippines.
Roque responded to the calls of Dr. Antonio Dans of the Philippine Society of General Internal Medicine who blamed the use of the unreliable rapid test kits in the spread of COVID-19 in work places.
On the other hand, the spokesman said the government “never encouraged rapid tests kits as a standalone test.”
“We always say that it should be used in conjunction with PCR (polymerase chain reaction tests) recognizing that PCRs are still the most accurate,” Roque stated.
Roque pointed out “no test is perfect” since PCR tests can also produce “false positive” results.
“That’s why you have to compliment the use of PCR with rapid testing kits especially in a country like the Philippines where until recently we did not have enough tests,” he said.
“Even if we have 32,000 tests per day now capability, the reality is not everyone can still get them,” he lamented.
Roque also refuted the claims of Dr. Dans that “the use of rapid test kits is responsible for the widespread of COVID-19.”
The spokesman cited that last Tuesday, Aug. 4, the Department of Health (DoH) released a data concerning of COVID-19 cases.
“Contrary to the claim of Dr. Dans, the clusterings were in the community, in jails, and in hospitals,” Roque cited.
“Who are using rapid test kits now? The corporations and there’s no clusters observed in the workplaces right now,” he pointed out.
Roque added the DoH data showed that “rapid test kits are doing what they are supposed to do, which is to operate as initial screening until individuals are able to get PCR tests.” (Jeffrey Damicog)
