Vietnam to introduce locally made new COVID-19 rapid test kit

Information during the workshop showed that the locally produced COVID-19 rapid test kit which has the same accuracy as the Real-time PCR method and is expected to be released in early December, meeting the need of testing a large number of arrivals entering at the same time if international commercial flights are reopened, thus helping prevent the pandemic more effectively.

The product of Sao Thai Duong Company and Hanoi University of Technology has the advantage of putting out test results in just 1 hour, with high accuracy, 100% sensitivity and 98% specificity.

“We are submitting profiles for permission from the Ministry of Health so that we can receive registration in Vietnam and in Europe,” said Nguyen Thi Huong Lien, Deputy Director of the Sao Thai Duong Company. “The modern machines allow us to increase the speed of the test by 50 times compared to Real-time PCR technology,” she added, informing that the price of the kit is only below USD2 per person.

During the workshop, the test kit was appreciated by domestic and international experts. Some other technologies praised included Bluezone, a Bluetooth-based mobile app that helps identify and alert people who have interacted with COVID-19 patients. The contact-tracing app, developed by the BKAV Technology Group, has been downloaded by more than 23 million Vietnamese people.

The National Hospital for Tropical Diseases introduced the use of a high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) in place of intubation for critically-ill COVID-19 patients, which not only benefited the patients but also helped the hospital save resources./.