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MANILA, Philippines – The government’s COVID-19 task force approved pilot studies on the use of antigen tests to detect the novel coronavirus among local travelers.
According to a resolution published Friday, the Interagency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Infectious Diseases allowed authorities to use antigen tests “for border detection and serial testing on high-risk to low-risk interzonal travel” in the Philippines.
Previously, the IATF already allowed the use of antigen tests as a substitute for gold standard real-time polymerase chain reaction tests when traveling to local destinations.
READ: IATF allows the use of antigen tests for asymptomatic domestic travelers
According to the Department of Health, antigen testing uses nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swabs for specimen collection, but uses laboratory or healthcare settings to validate results.
READ: Government studies to use antigen test kits to detect tourists for COVID-19
If the antigen tests show positive results, it means there is a “presumptive COVID-19”, but if it tests negative, it means that it is unlikely that COVID-19.
KGA
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For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
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