Vietnam has enough biological products eligible to conduct tests for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), with the accuracy of testing similar to the techniques used in other countries such as the Real-time RT-PCR, stated Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long.

At the meeting

Deputy Minister Long made the statement during a meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID Prevention and Control on February 24. 

During the meeting, the Deputy Minister affirmed that the Ministry has been implementing a number of dramatic measures to combat the disease and ensure people’s safety amid increasingly complicated developments regarding the disease. 

In terms of performing tests, he emphasised that the country has enough capacity and biological products to carry out tests and achieve an accuracy similar to that of other nations. 

Indeed, Vietnam is currently home to three testing units that come up to the standards recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

These include the Pasteur Institute of Ho Chi Minh City, the Pasteur Institute of Nha Trang, and the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Hanoi, all of which follow the globally agreed methods of testing for the COVID-19. 

Each of these units are set to conduct technological transfer and professional training for 22 laboratories, each of which are fully equipped with facilities and the necessary manpower to meet the WHO-recognised standards and produce reliable results.