Bohol allows ‘saliva-RT PCR’

But only for tourists, APORS

CORTES, Bohol, Feb 6 (PIA) – Taking cue from the Department of Health (DOH) and strategically balancing health and its economic objectives as well as focusing on efforts on testing and contact tracing, Bohol further swings its doors wider with a policy that is deemed to welcome tourists and keep the economy’s head over the water.

Governor Arthur Yap, last February 2, issued Executive Order No. 9, which now allows the use of the less expensive and easier to use saliva nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) in collecting samples for the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT PCR) over the invasive and sometimes painful nasopharyngeal swab.

The authorization to use such however is only open for those availing of the Tourist Bubble and as a requirement for entering Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APOR).

The Department of Health has said that the use of saliva as an alternative specimen for RT-PCR testing especially as used by the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) laboratories has been approved by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) as of 21 January 2021.

In reports, a PRC saliva RT PRC test costs P2,000, compared to the P4,500 for the nasopharyngeal swab test by molecular laboratories.

Apart from being reportedly cheaper and less invasive than nasopharyngeal swab, saliva-based test accordingly allows self-collection and spares healthcare professionals the risk of getting infected during collection, preserves personal protective equipment for longer use and allows broader testing than the ‘feared’ methods of nasal or throat swabs resulting in more screenings, leading to more effective control of the spread of COVID-19.

It may be recalled that last November 13, 2020, the governor issued Executive Order No 53, series of 2020, providing for the guidelines in the implementation of the Bohol Tourist Bubble.

This also allows, as early as November 15, 2020, the entry to Bohol tourists who would be attending meetings, incentives, conventions and conferences as well as exhibits (MICE) and events, as coordinated by the Bohol Tourism Office.

The tourists however need to present a negative for COVID-19 test results through an RT-PCR test, taken not earlier than 72 hours prior to their travel to Bohol.

A month later, the governor again issued Executive Order No. 53-A, which broadened those that can come in, which now includes free-and- independent-travellers (FIT), reiterating that those coming in should not leave their respective tourism bubbles.

The two earlier executive orders also mandate that tourists staying over five days would have to undergo a repeat RT PCR test on their fifth day of stay here.

Once they test negative in the repeat RT PCR, only then can they be allowed to leave the tourist bubble, a subsequent Executive Order No. 7 series of 2021 stated.

Last November 20 too, via executive Order No 54, series of 2020, Bohol adopted new quarantine protocols and simplified the guidelines for sea and air travel to Bohol for locally stranded individuals (LSI), Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs) and APORs.

With the new executive order No 9, series of 2021, tourists from outside Bohol who wish to avail of the Bohol Tourist Bubble or join MICE and events can do so by submitting a negative for COVID in a test done by saliva diagnostics via RT PCR.

For APORs, a negative result by saliva NAAT RT PCR would now be the requirement prior to their entry and after arrival, should they decide to leave their tourist and APOR bubbles. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)

CHEAPER AND YET EQUALLY EFFECTIVE. Philippine Red Cross Dick Gorden tries to sample the saliva collecting kit which the PRC uses in lieu of the costly nasopharyngeal swab for COVID 19 diagnostic. Bohol will now allow tourists to come in as long as they can show negative results of COVID, not anymore by the highly technical swab but by saliva samples for the RT PCR. (PIABohol/PRC)