Covid test not necessary after ending quarantine, says ministry

 

The health ministry says the results of all Covid-19 tests should be reported, whether the tests are positive or negative.

KUALA LUMPUR: Those who tested positive for Covid-19 need not undergo further testing on completion of quarantine, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today.

He said ultra-sensitive methods such as RT-PCR tests could detect the presence of viral material up to three months after infection.

“However, during the viral shedding period the virus is no longer able to reproduce and the individual is unlikely to be able to spread the infection,” he said in a statement.

Noor Hisham said that antigen rapid test kits (RTK-Ag) were used to help in detection and control of infections because the method is simple, easy, inexpensive, and can be done at point-of-care.

“The use of RTK-Ag is recommended to individuals who are symptomatic or are in a high-risk group and asymptomatic,” he said.

The RTK-Ag test can detect infection from the third to the seventh day of exposure, while RT-PCR tests can detect infection from the second to 14th day after infection.

Noor Hisham said patients who test positive through self-testing must report their results through MySejahtera, update their health status and undergo isolation.

He said the results of all RT-PCR and RTK-Ag tests should be reported to the ministry, regardless of whether the results are positive or negative. - FMT