The Philippine Red Cross in Bacolod City is aiming to conduct saliva testing for COVID-19 by February 5, PRC governor Jay Jalandoni said today, January 25.
Saliva RT-PCR tests, which have been approved by the Department of Health to be used by PRC, started at the Red Cross testing centers in Mandaluyong and Manila cities today.
The PRC Bacolod laboratory also has the capability to conduct saliva tests and is just waiting for its testing kits to arrive, Jalandoni said.
The saliva test will cost P2,000, which is cheaper than the nasal test that cost P3,800, he said.
All one has to do is spit into a bag that will then be sealed and submitted to a medical technician for testing, Jalandoni said.
The saliva test is a faster, easier, and more affordable mode of determining the presence of COVID-19, Senator Richard Gordon, PRC chairman and CEO, said.
Processing time is expected to take only three to four hours.
While the cost for a saliva test is P2,000, the price may decrease if more people avail of it, Gordon added.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said if the saliva tests are accurate they will see if the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital laboratory in Silay City can also do the same.*