HCMC – The country’s Covid-19 testing capacity using the real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR) technique has been expanded, with Vietnam now being able to test over 46,000 samples daily at 123 accredited labs, the Ministry of Health announced on August 20.
Due to a spike in the demand for Covid-19 testing amid the second wave of Covid-19 infections in Danang City and some other localities, the ministry has successfully improved the Covid-19 testing capacity for the entire healthcare system.
From July 23 to August 19, some 390,690 samples were tested, while the number from late January to July 24 was 426,710.
During the first week of the period from July 23 to August 19, the health sector conducted 5,500 tests a day. In the third week, the daily testing capacity increased by four-fold from the first week to 25,000.
Compared to the previous periods of the Covid-19 outbreak, Vietnam’s capacity has been raised sharply.
Between January 22 and March 5, over 3,090 samples were tested, with an average of 70 tests per day, but the figure soared to 182,100 from March 6 to April 22 and to 390,690 between July 23 and August 19.
Over 14,470 tests were conducted daily during the July 23-August 19 period, VietnamPlus news site reported.
Since July 25, Danang City has tested the most samples at some 86,000, followed by HCMC and Quang Nam.
The ministry has also set up a testing support system in the three regions across the country to help provinces and cities ramp up their Covid-19 testing capacity.
