Health ministry urges more reliable COVID-19 test kits for mass production

The call was made at a meeting held by the ministry in Hanoi on April 8.

Vietnam has used different diagnostic testing kits, including those imported from foreign countries like Germany and the Republic of Korea.

Health ministry urges more reliable COVID-19 test kits for mass production. (Photo for illustration)

As the pandemic has spread globally, Vietnam should not rely on foreign supplies but instead develop more test kits for its own use, according to the ministry. The country must also produce enough biological materials to test the products, it said.

The ministry said it welcomes all studies and efforts to produce testing kits and it is looking for a product that is fast, affordable, sensitive and convenient for an expanded response to the COVID-19.

The ministry has placed an order for 200,000 testing kits developed by the Military Medical University and Viet A Corporation which can detect the SARS-CoV-2 in specimens of droplets from the respiratory tract and blood samples. Its accuracy rate is over 90 percent.

A number of research institutes in Vietnam have also joined the race to develop COVID-19 test kits that are not only reliable but also suitable for the actual conditions in the country.

Some studies have shown quite promising results. For example, the rapid test kit developed by the School of Biotechnology and Food Technology at the Hanoi University of Science and Technology which is in line to get approval for production.

The participating research institutes said they hope to successfully create new test kits this month.

Source: VNA