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PH eyes faster, cheaper virus tests with pooled, saliva-based process

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ABS-CBN News

MANILA - The Philippines is eyeing cheaper and faster coronavirus testing by combining pooled testing with saliva-based virus tests, one of the country&#x27;s presidential advisers said Thursday.The Department of Health has yet to release its guidelines on pooled testing, which works in areas with less than 5 percent of COVID-19 prevalence, said Joey Concepcion, presidential adviser on entrepreneurship.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/17/20/ph-eyes-5-time-increase-in-virus-detection-capacity-with-pooled-testing">PH eyes 5-time increase in virus detection capacity with pooled testing</a></li></ul>&quot;In line [with] pooled PCR testing, instead of swabbing 5 people, ang gagamitin mo lang dito &#x27;yung saliva ng 5 tao. Talagang mas mura ang mangyayari dito,&quot; he told ABS-CBN&#x27;s Teleradyo.(In line [with] pooled PCR testing, instead of swabbing 5 people, you will just use their saliva. It&#x27;s cheaper.)&quot;Sa America ganyan na ang ginagawa nila, saliva-based kesa swab. Mas convenient sa mga tao, mas mabilis nang kaunti and mas mura kasi wala ka nang swabbers, extraction machine.&quot;(It&#x27;s what they do in America. It&#x27;s more convenient, faster, and cheaper because you don&#x27;t need swabbers and extraction machine.)The test will cost some P650 for each person, Concepcion said.The Philippine Red Cross might finish its study on saliva-based tests next month, he added.&quot;It’s important maski may vaccine na tayo tuloy pa rin ang testing (that our testing continues even if we have a vaccine) because we will not be able to inoculate all Filipino people in 2021,&quot; he said.The Philippines and private firms last week signed a supply agreement for British drug group AstraZeneca&#x27;s potential COVID-19 vaccine.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/11/27/20/philippines-private-firms-sign-vaccine-supply-deal-with-astrazeneca">Philippines, private firms sign vaccine supply deal with AstraZeneca</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LTIQeD1dHhE?enablejsapi=1"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

The Philippines is eyeing cheaper and faster coronavirus testing by combining pooled testing with saliva-based virus tests, one of the country's presidential advisers said Thursday.

The Philippines is eyeing cheaper and faster coronavirus testing by combining pooled testing with saliva-based virus tests, one of the country's presidential advisers said Thursday.