MANILA, Philippines — Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday said performing self-swabbing for COVID-19 is not advisable since it may render the results questionable.
He made the remark after actor Robin Padilla shared a video of him conducting a COVID-19 swab test by himself.
Duque said there are protocols and standards that are being followed in conducting swab tests.
“Hindi p’wedeng sa sarili mo gagawin ‘yan dahil ang iyong resulta ay magiging kwestiyonable,” he said in a Laging Handa public briefing.
(You can’t do it on yourself because the results will be questionable.)
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III (Photo from an RTVM video posted on Facebook)
“Kung hindi naman ito naaayon sa mga tamang pamantayan ay kaduda-duda ang magiging resulta so hindi natin dapat ginagawa ito,” he added.
(If the swabbing is not up to standards, the results will be questionable so this should not be done.)
In his post, Padilla said he was forced to conduct the swab test on himself due to the alleged unavailability of a healthcare worker.