The Department of Health (DoH) said it was looking at new technologies such as the portable polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyzer and saliva testing to further bolster its response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. “The government welcomes all technology that would somehow help in our current Covid-19 response,” Vergeire told a media forum on Friday. She said the technology would help clear the testing backlog in RT-PCR laboratories and increase the number of samples tested. Vergeire said saliva testing uses less resources than a RT-PCR test but cautions that saliva testing can be contaminated through food particles. The DoH is also continuing negotiations with other vaccine manufacturers for locally testing their vaccines, Vergeire said.

Source: Manila Times August 28, 2020 16:52 UTC