MANILA, Philippines — Senator Richard Gordon said the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) should research reagents to be used for COVID-19 testing and look into the accuracy of saliva-based tests so the country would no longer need to source test kits from other nations.
According to Gordon, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) previously had to source thousands of test kits from China, which had a total price tag of $5 million.
“My question is, why can’t DOST copy the reagents? We should be doing that. Kopyahin natin yung reagents, baka naman magawa natin dito baka mas mura. Baka yung mga test kits, yung mga swab baka magawa na natin ‘yan,” Gordon, who also chairs the PRC,…
Keep on reading: Gordon asks: Why can’t DOST research on reagents for COVID-19 tests, saliva testing?