Malaysia Kini reported that the first batch of antigen rapid test kit will be arriving in Malaysia tomorrow (May 1) from Korea. The Health Director-General, Datuk Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah mentioned that Sabah and Sawarak will be prioritized in getting the first batch.
He disclosed that the advantage of antigen rapid test kit is that they can be used on medical sites and could obtain the result quickly, therefore, Sabah and Sarawak that are facing logistics and sample transportation issues, need these test kits.
Photo source: Malaysia Kini
“For example, in Sarawak, there are only four hospitals and labs with the capability to conduct COVID-19 testings, namely the Sarawak General Hospital in Kuching, Miri Hospital, Bintulu Hospital, and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas). We can place the rapid test kits at other hospitals and clinics," he added, as reported in The Star.
As for the second batch of 100,000 test kits is expected to arrive in Malaysia on Saturday (May 2).
He revealed that the Ministry of Health (MoH) will be setting up biosafety cabinets in KLIA to keep these test kits so that they could be used to test transit passengers.
"We expect to use and distribute these test kits next week and we will train medical staff on using them," he said, as reported in Malaysia Kini.
It was learned that the antigen rapid test kits have a sensitivity rate of 84.4% and a specificity rate of 100%.
Cover photo: The Star || Malaysia Kini
