Health DG cautions against use of Covid-19 rapid test kits

CORONAVIRUS | Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has advised the public to exercise caution with regard to Covid-19 rapid test kits (RTK) that can be purchased on the market.

He explained that many of these tests differ from the ones used by the Health Ministry.

Noor Hisham said the Health Ministry's tests use a technique called "Real-Time Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (rRT-PCR)" which is specially intended to trace the presence of the Covid-19 virus.

In contrast, he said many Covid-19 tests sold on the market are rapid test kits which look for the presence of antibodies against Covid-19 instead of the virus itself.

"Antibodies will only emerge in the body after five to eight days from the point of infection.

"RTK which detects antibodies cannot detect the virus or quickly confirm an infection. It cannot help in the early detection of Covid-19.

Example of Rapid test kit for Covid-19

"Therefore, RTKs which detect antibodies are not recommended for Covid-19 diagnosis," he told a press conference in Putrajaya today.

He said the public should not conduct RTK tests on a whim without the advice of a medical professional.

"This has the potential of causing misinterpretation of the obtained results," he said.

Unlike RTKs, a joint report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and China last month cited preliminary data showing that PCR-based testing can detect the presence of the virus up to two days before symptoms begin to show.

My EG Services Bhd (MyEG) is currently marketing RTKs directly to members of the public, which promises results within 15 minutes without sending samples to a laboratory.

The Health Ministry had previously dismissed the product as fake, but MyEG clarified that it is still seeking government approval for the product.

Malaysiakini has also sighted other vendors marketing RTKs directly to the general public, although such products are intended for professional use.

Perling state assemblyperson Cheo Yee How had previously urged the ministry to clarify the status of MyEG's offering.

"This is because if a layperson unfamiliar with the device make a wrong reading and failed to consult a medical practitioner, there is a high chance the spread of Covid-19 could be more serious," he said on March 19.

To date, Malaysia has recorded 1,624 confirmed Covid-19 cases with 15 deaths. - Mkini