The Philippine Red Cross (PRC)-Bohol is now offering saliva tests, which is more affordable than the traditional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. The PRC made this announcement on its Facebook page on Tuesday, March 30, 2021.
According to reports PRC Bohol administrator Merlinda Batoy said that the saliva test is priced at P2,000 per test. The saliva test is P1,800 more affordable compared with to the PCR nasopharyngeal swab test.
Just like the regular nasopharyngeal tests which are available at the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital and at the Bohol Provincial Molecular Laboratory, the saliva samples are also subjected to PCR techniques to detrct the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the virus that causes the Coronavirus disease (Covid).
Reports add that the saliva testing is less invasive as there is no need for the act of scraping for samples from the nose and throat. At the same time, the saliva test is also as reliable as the regular nasopharyngeal test, which is the gold standard.
Saliva test results are also accepted in most local government units prior to arrival. Bohol is also accepting saliva test results as part of the requirement for people who wish to enter Bohol.
However, the test is still not covered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
Furthermore, samples from Bohol will be sent to a PRC lab at Mandaue City, making the turnaround time for the release of the results to 40 hours.
The PRC is reportedly trying to forge an agreement with the Bohol provincial government to have the samples processed at the molecular laboratory owned by the province.
Interested persons may get tested by visiting the PRC-Bohol office or book an appointment online, according to reports.