In a recent meeting with Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion, Glenn Yu, President of SeaOil Philippines sought the support of Go Negosyo in the implementation of the Saliva COVID Test, aside from pooled swab testing which was launched earlier this month.

Yu discussed the possible beneficial effects of adopting the Saliva COVID Test in reviving the economy and helping micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to bounce back.

This simpler and minimally invasive testing method from Israel uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology. It also has the potential to reduce the result turnaround to less than a second, lower the cost of testing, and produce highly reliable results.

Adding saliva test to the country's testing arsenal enhances our capacity for increased testing while reducing the strain on the healthcare system.

“What I'm trying to get at is we are not closing the door to innovations that are brought forward by different countries, different scientists who are developing this technology. We will constantly review them and work with DOH and our partners to provide the right guidance,” Concepcion emphasized.

Under this new methodology, patients rinse their mouths with a saline wash and spit into a vial. This is then examined by a small spectral device that, in simple terms, shines a light on the specimen and analyses the reaction to see if it is consistent with COVID-19.

This simple test can be used in airports, ports, and terminals where institutions can conduct mass screenings to identify even asymptomatic patients with a low viral load.