Project ARK: Saliva-based COVID testing a ‘game changer’ for PH

The saliva-based coronavirus testing will be a "game-changer" for faster detection of the illness at lower cost once it is arrives to the country, according Project Ark medical director Dr. Minguita Padilla.

Padilla said Project Ark, a private sector campaign for COVID testing, is aiming to bring the innovative diagnostic method in the country to boost efforts to screen people with the coronavirus illness.

The saliva-based testing method, currently being developed in Israel and United States, can be done with ease since people will simply spit into a kit for testing, the Project Ark official said.

"Ang saliva antigen test ito talaga hinihintay ng marami kasi magagawa mo na ito sa bahay. Ginagawa sa Israel at sa San Francisco, ito na 'yung ginagawa na nila. Dudura ka lang sa isang kit tapos malalaman mo na kung may COVID ka. Again It's not yet here but this is very promising (Many people are waiting fro the saliva antigen testing because you can o this at home. It's already being done in Israel and San Francisco. All you need to do is spit into the kit and you will know if you have COVD. Again it's not yet here but this is very promising)," she said during the "Laging Handa" briefing on People's Television network Thursday.

"Itong saliva test puwede gaming araw-araw kasi one dollar lang yata so you can test before you go to school, before you go out, bago ka pumunta sa opisina. Game-changer talaga ito kapag maipasok sa Pilipinas. We just have check the sensitivity and specificity (The saliva test can be done everyday because it reportedly costs only one dollar. So you can test before you go to school, before you go out, before you go to work. This is really a game-changer once it arrives in the Philippines. We just have to check the sensitivity and specificity)," she added.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has reportedly granted emergency use of a saliva-based test developed by Yale School of Public Health. Yale researchers said laboratories may reportedly charge only $10 per sample from the testing method, called SalivaDirect.

In Israel, the Sheba Medical Center has also launched trials for saliva test and hopes the results can be determined in less than second.

Apart from newly developed saliva testing, Padilla said Project Ark will explore the use of rapid antigen testing to detect people with the illness. She said this kind of testing will still provide "specific" results even though it is less sensitive than polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.

"Ito 'yung mga initiatives ngayon Project Ark, ung pool PCR testing 'yung antigen in the swab testing antigen in the saliva once it is here. Susubukan ipasasok ng Project Ark together with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), RITM (Research Institute for Tropical Medicine) and DoH (Department of Health) (These are the initiatives of PCR, pool PCR testing, antigen swab testing, saliva-based antigen testing once it is here. Project Ark will try to bring it here together with the FDA, RITM, and DoH)," she said.

She noted that Project Ark recently launched its pooled testing method in Makati City and other local government units. She said group testing allows the testing of more people using fewer resources.

"Hindi titigil ang Project Ark finding ways to test and test and test. cheaper cheaper, mas mura mas maraming tao para makabalik tayo sa more normal, more socially integrated as soon as possible (Project Ark will not stop in finding ways to test, test and test. Cheaper, cheaper. The cheaper the test, more people can be tested so we can return to a more normal, more socially integrated as soon as possible)," she said.