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REUTERS
Ukraine’s Health Ministry has announced the arrival of a batch of two types of coronavirus test kits in the country; they will be delivered by plane.
They include those using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, which is considered to be the gold standard for diagnostic testing, and rapid tests, the ministry said.
Read alsoUPDATE: Eight suspected coronavirus cases in Ukraine have negative test results
“We emphasize that rapid tests will be used by emergency teams for ‘sanitary sorting,’ that is, if an emergency worker arrives at a person who has a fever and is a suspected case for coronavirus, doctors should perform two tests: flu testing and a rapid test for coronavirus. This is necessary to decide which algorithm of actions should follow,” the ministry said.
“If it’s a flu case, doctors should take appropriate measures. If a rapid test confirms the coronavirus, doctors should take an additional sample for PCR testing. After that, one can talk about a confirmed case of the disease and take the necessary anti-epidemic measures,” the ministry explained.
At the same time, the ministry added that in case the results of both tests (flue and the rapid test for coronavirus) are negative, a patient should anyway adhere to the self-isolation regime for the next two weeks under the conditions of nationwide quarantine.
“PCR tests are already performed in the regional laboratories every day. In addition to those PCR tests, another 11 devices for PCR diagnostics will be available in Ukraine this week. This will expand the number of labs in the country able to detect the coronavirus,” the ministry said.
As of 10:00 Kyiv time on March 22, there had been 47 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine, including three deaths and one recovery.
