The Department of Health on Wednesday said it does not recommend rapid antibody test as a stand-alone test for diagnosis of COVID-19 especially in screening procedures such as workers returning to work, returning LSIs and ROFs due to some reasons.
“The use of rapid antibody tests is not recommended for use in screening, return-to-work decisions, entry-to-country/province policies, or for similar use due to its low sensitive and high false negative rates, as well as uncertainties to its connection to immunity.” the DOH said in a statement.
DOH further reiterated its Department Memorandum 2020-0258 which states that “rapid antibody-based test is an adjunct test and shall not be used as a standalone test to definitively diagnose or rule out COVID-19.”
The DOH added that the World Health Organization also “recommends that rapid tests be used in research settings only, including for clinical decision-making, until evidence supporting use for specific indications is available.”
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