The United States donated 500,000 Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) as part of its commitment to support Sri Lanka’s fight against COVID-19, the US Embassy said today. These tests, worth 300 million Sri Lankan rupees (USD 1.5 million), were delivered to the Sri Lanka Ministry of Health through the United States Government’s development arm, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). These RDTs come in addition to over 1.5 million Moderna vaccines the American people donated to Sri Lanka on Friday, July 16. “By enabling rapid detection of the virus, these tests donated by the American people will save lives and protect public health in Sri Lanka,” said USAID Mission Director to Sri Lanka and Maldives, Reed Aeschliman. “This donation builds on previous U.S. support to the Sri Lankan government’s pandemic response and reflects our strong, long-standing partnership.”These antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic tests directly detect the presence of the COVID-19 virus.

Source: The Nation July 22, 2021 03:22 UTC