Almost all provinces have now been equipped with Rapid Antigen Testing Kits for Covid-19 and have personnel trained in their use and ready to deploy them in the field as necessary, according to Ministry of Health technical director-general Hok Kim Cheng.

Kim Cheng told The Post on April 29 that the kits have reached most provinces, especially those provinces with severe transmission.

“Some provinces have already been using them. In fact, the ministry sent them to the provinces a week earlier,” he said, adding that the kits produce the test results in roughly 15 minutes.

The Ministry of Health purchased them after assessing that they were accurate and effective at detecting the virus.

“The Rapid Antigen Covid-19 Test is not a piece of technological hardware or a device or a machine. They are chemically-treated latex panels. We take a sample of a nostril swab and smear it on the panels and then the panels change colour indicating a positive or negative result,” Cheng said.

During a press conference about the ongoing lockdown on April 28, he said a rate of between five and 10 per cent of people in high transmission areas have tested positive, making these rapid testing kits important for the authorities to stop further transmission in a timely manner.

“In just 10 minutes, we can see the results and that enables us to isolate the positive person from others to cut off the transmission. The approval to use this system came after careful review of the technical aspects and its accuracy,” he said.

Recently, the health ministry has permitted private hospitals and clinics to test samples using these kits and to treat mild or asymptomatic Covid-19 patients by following standards procedures.

Kim Hab said more than 10 private hospitals and clinics had already requested permission to provide these services, three of which had been approved so far.