Self-test kits
ONE line appears to be drowned as the beleaguered people purchase and use self-administered coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) antigen test kit products.
The line is Undersecretary (USEC) Ma. Rosario Vergeire, spokesperson of the Department of Health (DOH), who warned the public on the use of these antigen test kits.
These test kit products are still in the final stages of evaluation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which registers the so-called antigen test kits, according to the DOH.
“What we need to look for in the labels should be the registration of FDA,” said Vergeire, adding the agency has yet to approve any self-administered test kits in the country.
Undersecretary Vergeire assured the people that the government, through the DOH, will soon issue guidelines on how the test kit products should be used.
And she explained that the antigen test kit products currently available in the local market should be used with guidance of health care professionals to avoid false results.
According to the DOH official, antigen tests can only be used if a person has symptoms and this is within the first five days of illness.
Of course, we want to believe that using a self-administered antigen test kit product hinges on the greater consideration that utilizing it should really benefit the user.
This is the reason why our countrymen, including the ordinary citizens not only in the metropolis but elsewhere, should not ignore the warning raised by Ms. Vergeire.
Dapat lang!
