FDA seeks DOH’s opinion on use of at-home COVID test kits

In order to possibly augment the Philippines’ testing strategies, the use of at-home COVID-19 test kits is carefully considered by Food and Drug Administration.

FDA Director General Eric Domingo said they have sought the opinion of the Department of Health (DOH) regarding the possibilities of using at-home COVID-19 test kits to strengthen the country’s testing efforts.

“Sumulat kami-ang FDA-sa Department of Health to ask kung ano ang kanilang opinyon dito at kung gagamitin ba nila, kung kakailanganin ba dito sa Pilipinas ang mga self-administered test kits (We, the FDA, wrote to the Department of Health to ask their opinion about this, and if we need to use self-administered test kits here in the Philippines),” he stated in a televised press briefing.

In the country’s testing strategy, FDA said everything is being done through RT-PCR or antigen test, which is what the health department presently uses.

Domingo, however, noted that the FDA has yet to approve any at-home COVID-19 test kits or self-administered ones.

Some countries such as the United States and Singapore have allowed the use of COVID-19 test kits for home use in order to expand its testing efforts in the middle of the pandemic, as well as the spread of the more threatening Delta variant.