Dr. Dharmaratne said that overall nearly 5 mn PCR tests had been conducted since March 2020 with the state sector undertaking the majority of tests. “The current requirement is to identify those who had been affected as quickly as possible hence the increase in much faster Rapid Antigen tests,” Dr. Dharmaratne said. The senior official said that still substantial number of PCR tests had been carried out on a monthly basis though compared to 700,000 done in May the figure could be less. Commenting on Rapid Antigen testing lunched in last Nov, Dr. Dharmaratne said that the Medical Supplies Division had so far issued approximately 5 mn kits whereas one mn stock remained. According to him, more stocks were in the pipe line and the health ministry didn’t anticipate shortage of required materials.

Source: The Nation August 30, 2021 00:00 UTC