COVID-19 TESTS TO BE CONDUCTED VIA SALIVA SAMPLES

It’s cheaper, consistent and non-invasive

PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry has approved the use of “deep throat saliva” as test samples for the diagnosis of Covid-19.

This may come as good news to members of the public who are not comfortable with the current swab test method – where samples are taken by inserting a swab into the upper reaches of the nasal passage or to the back of the throat.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said many countries had been using deep throat saliva samples for Covid-19 testing, adding it was “cheaper and consistent”.

“The deep throat saliva sampling method is safe and not invasive compared to nasopharyngeal (back of the nose) or oropharyngeal (back of the throat) swabs.

“It will also speed up testing and increase the number of Covid-19 screenings.

“As this method is also self-administered, there is also savings as there will not be any need for the use of personal protective equipment,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Under the deep throat saliva method, a person will spit out his sample into a specimen cup, after drawing the saliva from as deep as possible, just like when someone tries to clear their throat of phlegm.

Dr Adham said the ministry would start the deep throat saliva sampling method soon at its hospitals, before extending its usage to other health facilities.

He said the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) had completed a study on saliva sampling and concluded that it was suitable for the ministry’s reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests.

“IMR is also in the midst of evaluating the usage of saliva samples for antigen rapid tests (RTK-Ag),” said Dr Adham.

Meanwhile, he also announced that the ministry received 2.7 million units of low-dead volume (LDV) syringes from insurance company Etiqa Family Takaful Bhd, a contribution worth about RM891,000.

LDV syringes have the capability to extract six doses compared to five doses from the vaccine vial compared to normal syringes.

“One of the main and immediate needs are these LDV syringes to administer Pfizer’s Comirnaty Covid-19 vaccine.

“These syringes will be delivered in stages from Feb 19 for the implementation of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme,” Dr Adham said, adding that the ministry welcomed contributions from all, especially corporations, to ensure the success of the immunisation programme.