MANILA, Philippines — Individuals who test negative for COVID-19 in rapid antigen tests should undergo a confirmatory reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or repeat antigen test, the Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday.
The DOH said this is in compliance with existing guidelines for using rapid antigen testing in detecting COVID-19 cases.
“In accordance with existing guidelines, while a positive rapid antigen test result is considered a confirmatory test for COVID-19 suspect and probable cases and close contacts, those with a negative result will be subject to a confirmatory RT-PCR test or a repeat antigen test after 48 hours,” the health department said in a statement.
The DOH earlier said it will allow the use of rapid antigen testing as diagnostic and confirmatory tests for close contacts and COVID-19 suspect and probable cases in Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan without the need for RT-PCR.
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“This is to ensure that the appropriate response and control measures may be immediately initiated by Local Government Units (LGUs) to contain further spread of the virus,” the agency said.
However, the DOH maintained that the RT-PCR test is still the gold standard for confirming the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.
It added that the use of rapid antigen test as confirmatory test shall only be allowed until the declaration of the outbreak in the NCR Plus is lifted.
Antigen testing should not be used for border control, pre-travel testing, workplace screening, or testing of asymptomatic general contacts, the DOH said.
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Only qualified licensed healthcare professionals working in local health offices, health facilities, accredited quarantine and isolation facilities, and certified COVID-19 confirmatory laboratory facilities are authorized to administer rapid antigen and interpret its results.
According to DOH, rapid antigen test kits that will be used must be registered with the Food and Drug Administration and validated by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine or other designated institutions.
“Considering the aforementioned development, the DOH shall also include suspect and probable cases and close contacts with positive rapid antigen tests from areas with declared outbreaks—in this case the NCR+ area—as confirmed in the daily case count, as well as in the total case count being reported by the Department,” the DOH said.
However, reporting of COVID-19 cases will be “disaggregated” depending on the type of test used.
“Those cases who tested positive but do not fit the case definition of the suspect and probable case or close contact under existing DOH issuances shall be retested using RT-PCR for them to be tagged as a confirmed COVID-19 case,” the department noted.