More than 6 million RT-PCR, RTK Antigen screening tests done - Dr Adham

JOHOR BAHRU:A total of 6,414,565 Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and RTK Antigen screening tests have been conducted since last year until Feb 5 this year, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba.

He said 3,332,554 of the RT-PCR screening tests were conducted last year.

This year alone, as of last Feb 5, 188,284 RT-PCR tests were conducted, he said in a statement today and attributed the high number, despite the short period, to the requirement for employers to send their targeted workers for the screening test.

Meanwhile, he said a total of 1,893,727 RTK tests had been conducted until last Feb 5.

"This shows that the government is paying attention to the RTK antigen or RTK-PCR test so that we can detect COVID-19 cases fast. The sooner we test, the sooner we get to isolate them," he added.

Meanwhile, he said, the setting up of the COVID-19 Assessment Centre last month was also important to monitor the asymptomatic cases.

This is to determine whether the patients can be placed under home quarantine or to be sent to the COVID-19 Quarantine and Low-Risk Treatment Centre (PKRC), he added.

-- BERNAMA