The Ministry of Health announced on March 23 that it has successfully completed the trial of an antigen testing machine from the Republic of Korea that will be put into operation imminently to conduct rapid testing for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Vietnam.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long speaks at the meeting of
the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control

Information regarding the successful trial was released by Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long during a meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control in Hanoi on March 23.

Deputy Minister of Health Long stated that the ministry has requested all local ministries and agencies conduct tests for everyone who has entered Vietnam over the previous 14 days.

Although the number of people who are required to undergo testing might reach into the tens of thousands, the country is capable of conducting tests on a large scale, noted Deputy Minister Long.

As a means of carrying out this plan, the National Steering Committee has assigned the Ministry of Defense to implement a host of measures aimed at preventing the transmission of the infection at concentrated isolation zones.

Moreover, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has also asked the Ho Chi Minh City Pauster Institute to co-ordinate with units based in southern provinces to take test samples for all people in concentrated isolation areas, with samples taken reaching up to 3,000 samples per day.

The MoH has assigned the Hanoi Center for Disease Control to increase its capacity to take 2,000 samples per day.

Regarding biological products relating to the COVID-19, domestic production units have been able to successfully meet demand while the Ministry of Science and Technology has also recently provided an additional 100,000 tests to be used by various units.

The Ministry of Health has begun to conduct a trial of 20 antigen testing machines from the Republic of Korea which can be used in order to quickly detect the COVID-19 virus.

The ministry is set to provide training for localities on March 24 with 5,000 quick tests being available for this type of testing.