The Department of Health (DOH) has clarified that it is not recommending the total ban of the use of rapid antibody test kits.
The said test kits can still be used for patients recovering from the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“We have included that in our protocols kung saan pwedeng gamitin ang antibody test sa mga pasyente na nakaka-recover na or pwede nang ma-tag as recovered kasi on the 20th day of the… Accurate na ang antibody test. (We have included that in our protocols where the antibody tests can be used on patients who are recovering or can be tagged as recovered because on the 20th day…the antibody test is accurate),” DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire has stated.
Project ARK Medical Team Head Dr. Minguita Padilla has agreed with the department and pointed out that the rapid antibody test is a great help in “surveillance.”
However, USec. Vergeire has emphasized that a rapid test is not enough and that a patient must still undergo an RT-PCR test, the gold standard in identifying COVID-19. The DOH and other experts are creating guidelines for the proper usage of different testing methods.
Report from Sandra Samala
