Saliva tests for Covid-19 to revive tourism sector

A new testing method for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) that uses saliva instead of swabs may be introduced in the country today, September 8.

The saliva testing method, which uses a technology called absorption spectroscopy, determines if a particular substance is present in a sample using a light source, according to Dr. Kyle Wong, scientific adviser of AI InnoBio who has

exclusive rights to the technology in Asia.

It promises a faster turnaround time of at least one second from a sample collection and is best suited for use in areas where border entry is critical such as airports, seaports and terminals, he said.

A patient gargles a mouthwash that contains a salt solution that is examined using a spectrometer, which detects a particular substance, in this case, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV 2), using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Wong met Monday with the members of the Philippine business community led by Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Maria Concepcion 3rd.

Concepcion said saliva testing could be used to revive the tourism sector, which had been brought to its knees by the pandemic.

“We are trying to save the tourism sector, which is a huge sector of our country... This is the way forward to open up the tourism sector because it is the sector that the Philippines has the unique advantage and it has been

disrupted by the pandemic. ” he continued.

Wong said the technology is different from the other spectrometers that had been used in astronomy, as their spectrometer uses a small spectral chip that can be portable and used anywhere.

“It can be deployed anywhere, in any location, it does not take a lot of space” he added.

Eli Assolin of Newsight Imaging, who created the chip for the spectrometer, said it was able to detect close to 100 percent of viruses such as dengue and chikungunya, which provided the impetus for them to use the spectral chip for SARS-CoV 2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Center for Health Research and Development Executive Director Dr. Jaime Montoya said they agree that saliva testing would be useful in the country, but, like any testing method, it must be verified for sensitivity and specificity.

He urged AI InnoBio to subject saliva testing to the laboratory experts panel so that they can decide if it can be used in the country as either a screening test or a confirmatory test.

Concepcion said he plans to send a formal letter to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to propose the use of saliva testing.