KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has reiterated that those that examined optimistic for Covid-19 and have accomplished quarantine needn’t bear further Covid-19 testing.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah mentioned ultra-sensitive take a look at strategies similar to Real-Time Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) will nonetheless have the ability to detect the presence of viral genetic materials in respiratory tract samples as much as two to 3 months after an infection.
“During the viral shedding interval, for instance. However, the virus is now not capable of reproduce and the person is unlikely to have the ability to unfold the an infection,” he mentioned in a press release on Sunday (March 6).
Dr Noor Hisham additionally mentioned that the Covid-19 Antigen Rapid Test Kit (RTK-Ag), each the self-test {and professional} sorts, can detect an infection from the third to the seventh day of publicity to these already contaminated with Covid-19.
He mentioned RT-PCR assessments can even detect an infection as early because the second to 14th day after an infection, and as such, the accuracy of each kinds of assessments is determined by the length of an infection on the time the pattern was taken.
“The use of RTK-Ag is really helpful to people who’re symptomatic or are in a high-risk group and asymptomatic.
“RTK-Ag helps facilitate the detection course of and management of Covid-19 an infection as a result of the tactic is straightforward, simple, cheap, and might be performed at point-of-care. The testing course of is fast and take a look at outcomes might be obtained in about 20 to 30mins,” he mentioned.
Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham mentioned sufferers who take a look at optimistic via RTK-Ag self-testing might want to report their outcomes via MySejahtera, replace their well being standing by way of the Home Assessment Tool and bear isolation as required by the ministry.
As for skilled RT-PCR and RTK-Ag assessments, laboratories or medical practitioners who perform the assessments should instantly report the outcomes to the ministry via the Public Health Laboratory Information System (Simka), he mentioned.
“The ministry recommends that each one self or skilled RTK Ag assessments or RT-PCR carried out needs to be reported to the ministry by way of MySejahtera or Simka, no matter whether or not the outcomes are optimistic or adverse, to assist the ministry get a clearer image of the an infection fee locally,” he mentioned.- Bernama
