DOH revises guidelines on use of antigen tests

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) delayed until next week the release of its guidelines on the use of antigen test kits after the World Health Organization (WHO) discouraged its use on tourists and travelers.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that due to WHO’s recommendation, the Health Technology Assessment Council started revising the guidelines over the weekend to ensure that the country is aligned with international standards.

“Like what we have always said, this is an evolving situation, very dynamic. Because of all of this new [pieces of] evidence that are coming out, [our guidelines] change. We will again undergo this series of consultations and present again to IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) this revised version,” Vergeire said.

Last week, Malacañang said that it would allow the use of antigen test kits to detect COVID-19 among travelers.

—Jovic Yee

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