COVID-19 Test Kits Made By Pinoy May Be Available In 2-3 Weeks

Pinoy-made COVID-19 test kits may be available soon

Filipino scientist leading the development of COVID-19 test kits related that the results of field validation of locally-produced kits will be made available in 2 to 3 weeks.

In an interview on ANC’s Early Edition, Deputy director of the University of the Philippines’ Philippine Genome Center Raul Destura said, “If the results of the validation is deemed acceptable to valuators then we’re ready to roll. Two to three weeks from now.”

test kits covid-19
Photo credit: ABS-CBN

“I am not for the mass testing unless a formal economic modeling study is done that says it’s beneficial,” he added. Destura said that for now, he will go for targeted testing only because the resources are limited. This means that there are clinical suspicions and testing follows.

“You just have to wait for the symptoms, otherwise it might be an economical issue having this mass testing,” the UP deputy director said.

Based on the report from ABS-CBN, the project that is funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) received a certificate of exemption for field testing from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This is due to the increasing cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines. FDA stated that if the Pinoy-made test kits will pass the satisfactory rating, it can apply for a certificate of product registration for wider distribution.

16 new cases covid-19
Photo credit: The Star Online

Destura said that the “decision point for controlling transmission is on human behavior.” It is best for those who already have the symptoms to separate themselves from the group, he said.

He also stated that the government should launch an information campaign on how to restrict community transmission and would eventually flatten the pandemic’s curve, instead of having mass testing, based on the report.

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