Follow Covid-19 self-test kit instructions to the letter, says ministry

PETALING JAYA: Throat swabs can be used as an extra sample for the Covid-19 RTK-Ag (antigen) self-tests as long as it has been indicated in the kit, says the health ministry.

Reuters reported yesterday that Israeli health officials were advising people who were self-testing for Covid-19 to swab their throat, aside from their nose, when using the self-test kits to increase the chances of detecting the Omicron variant.

The recommendation, however, goes against the advice of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which said manufacturers’ instructions should still be followed and that any incorrect use of throat swabs could pose a safety risk.

“Usually, the company that develops the RTK-Ag self-test kit would have optimised using the indicated clinical samples. And the lab that evaluated the test kit would have used the similar type of clinical samples,” the ministry said in a statement today.

“If there is new evidence on the utility of throat swabs for RTK-Ag, then the company should request for evaluation with throat swabs,” the statement said. — Free Malaysia Today