Health ministry to order enterprises for COVID-19 testing at airports

During the meeting, he praised the efforts by medical bio-product manufacturers over the past time, saying the locally-made test products have contributed to the initial successes Vietnam has gained in the pandemic combat. The Ministry of Health will create favorable conditions for businesses to research and manufacture all kinds of test kits to serve the prevention and control of the epidemic in the new situation.

According to Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Cong Tac, domestic enterprises have produced two types of rapid test kits to find antibodies using machine and without use of machine, with high sensitivity and specificity to those who become infected with COVID-19 after 7 days. In addition, Vietnam can also produce test kits by Realtime-PCR method, with high accuracy and early detection of COVID-19 infected people.

Stressing the need to live in harmony with the pandemic by opening the door to welcome experts and investors to serve economic development, the committee confirmed that it is crucial to conduct rapid testing at border gates, airports and hospitals, in order to detect cases at the earliest time for preventing the infection in communities and hospitals.

Enterprises are urgently researching and producing rapid test kits to find antigen with low cost and use of existing machines and equipment, detecting cases of infection in the short term with sensitivity and efficiency equivalent or higher than the current Realtime-PCR method.

Mr. Dao Dinh Khoi, Director of Medicon Company, pledged to focus on investing in manufacturing the rapid test kit in the fastest time. The company has prepared a quantity of raw materials for the production of 500,000 tests, and is ready to produce on an industrial scale with about 50,000-100,000 tests per day, at a price per test kit of about USD3.50, accounting for by 70% compared to foreign products./.