Health Minister Dato’ Sri Dr Adham Baba said the government is mulling over providing COVID-19 test kits to the masses and allow the public to administer the test using their saliva.
“On the field, we’re testing with the gold standard, RTK-PCR. We employ the RTK-Antigen test for screening in numerous states that wishes to perform on their own, as well as Perkeso, which uses the same test.
“As a result, we are attempting to give these RTK-Antigen kits to the public through pharmacies, medical depots and suppliers in order to allow more individuals to do their own testing,” he said in a press conference on 27th May 2021.
“For the RTK-Antigen kit, the kits and suppliers must have the appropriate specificity and sensitivity. The user must next do the test with their saliva samples using the nasopharyngeal swab procedure.
“They can do this at home.”
Dr Adham stated that this is being reviewed and is pending permission from the authorities. The move is intended to allow folks who are experiencing symptoms but are unable to visit a medical facility to do the test themselves.
They can then be sent to a hospital or quarantine facility for additional assessment if necessary. They will be issued a home quarantine order or admitted to the hospital after they have been diagnosed.
On 30th May 2021, Dr Adham Baba stated that the brought-in-dead (BID) cases due to COVID-19 complications are rising at an exponential rate, and comprised 106 out of 386 such cases in the month of May 2021 alone.
On 31st May 2021, he stated that parents who continue to expose their children to COVID-19 risk may face more serious consequences from the authorities instead of just penalties. Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Senior Minister stated on 25th May that the number of children infected with COVID-19 includes 6,290 newborns under the age of 18 months. This is a definite cause for concern.
