PUTRAJAYA: Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah today cautioned that a 'rapid test kit' (RTK) being sold in the market could not help with the early detection of Covid-19.
He said this was because human antibodies only appear after five to eight days following the coronavirus infection.
“Hence, the test kit, which is currently available in the market to detect antibodies produced due to infection, cannot detect the virus or confirm infection quickly.
“Therefore, RTK is not recommended for the purpose of diagnosing Covid-19,” he said during a daily press conference on Covid-19.
He also urged member of the public not to take the RTK test without first consulting the medical practitioners, as it may cause misunderstanding and create worry over the outcome of the test.
Dr Noor Hisham said laboratory tests conducted at government health facilities for Covid-19 infection are using the Real-Time Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (rRT-PCR) technique.
“The rRT-PCR test will detect the presence of the Covid-19 virus in the patient’s body.
“Therefore, a positive Covid-19 rRT-PCR test means that the individual has been infected with the Covid-19 virus.”
Dr Noor Hisham added that accurate test results through rRT-PCR techniques are crucial in the effective management of Covid-19 patients.
Yesterday, it was reported that a company was set to bring in a Covid-19 test kit for the Malaysian market, pending approval from the government.
The company claimed that the test kit has fulfilled regulatory requirements in the United States, clearing the way for the sale of the devices there.
The company said the test kits, developed by a reputable Chinese biomedical company, has qualified for emergency use authorisation granted by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under a policy to accelerate detection and diagnosis during public health emergencies.
The test kit enables the early detection of the Covid-19 virus through the use of blood samples obtained from finger-pricking, specifically by detecting the presence of antibodies.