Inaprubahan ng Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ang limang Rapid Test Kits para sa coronavirus disease (COVID-19) bilang suporta sa hakbang ng gobyerno kontra pagkalat ng pandemic virus.
“We approve kits that are registered and used in countries with advanced technology and wide experience with COVID 19. We want the people to have access to testing but of course, proper evaluation and safeguards will still be in place,” ani FDA director general Eric Domingo.
Sa pamamagitan ng rapid test, mas mabilis malalaman ang resulta kung infected ba o hindi ng COVID-19 ang isang indibidwal.
Pero paliwanag walang katiyakan na tama agad ang resulta ng naturang test kits kaya inirerekomenda pa rin nilang sumailalim sa PCR (polymerase chain-reaction) testing ang isang pasyente.
“Hindi nito kayang tukuyin ang presensya ng COVID-19 virus sa taong wala pang ipinapakitang sintomas. May tyansa na mali ang resulta o magkaroon ng false negative result.”
Nilinaw din ni Domingo na hindi maaaring basta gamitin ng kahit sinong indibidwal ang rapid diagnostic test kit, gayundin na isang trained health professional ang dapat na mag-evaluate at mag-interpret ng resulta.
“This product is strictly for medical professional use only and not intended for personal use. The administration of the test and interpretation of results should be done by a trained health professional. Confirmatory testing is required.”
“We have to be very cautious in using these rapid test kits because they measure antibodies and not the viral load itself. The body takes time to develop antibodies and this might give a negative result for patients who have been infected but antibodies have not yet developed antibodies.”
Nanawagan ang FDA sa mga lokal na pamahalaan at mga ospital na maging maingat sa paggamit ng nasabing test kits.
Pati na sa Departmenr of Health para madagdagaan ang mga laboratoryo na pwedeng humawak ng PCR confirmatory tests.
