As parents grew dissatisfied that the twice-weekly rapid antigen test introduced to counter the spread of Omicron gives fear to young students, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education urged the public health authorities to approve the rapid PCR test using saliva.
The city office of education announced that it confirmed the excellent sensitivity and specificity of the rapid PCR test using a saliva sample through a research service with Seoul National University last year.
When the saliva-based rapid PCR test is approved by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we plan to replace the rapid antigen test for kindergarten students and elementary school students.