When to use the COVID-19 test kits built at UP

Last updated on May 7th, 2021 at 06:58 am

The test kit for UP-developed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is ready for field trials, just as the epidemic was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on Wednesday.

Advertisement Thousands of the kits will be sent for validation testing to many hospitals to decide if they are viable enough to be commercially available.

In comparison to over – the-counter pregnancy tests, the diagnosis.

A step-by-step guide on how to use the locally developed test kit to detect COVID-19 is given here:

1. Gathering samples. Health professionals must take samples of both the nose and throat from patients suspected of COVID-19 in personal protective gear.

2. Workshop room. The samples will be taken to approved hospital laboratories with a rating Biosafety level 2.

3. Extracting RNA. The samples of the throat and nose would be taken for RNA— genetic material in which the COVID-19 virus may be detoured.

4. Unit Monitoring. The RNA samples would be mixed with solutions from the locally developed COVID-19 test package, which would be taken to another location.

5. Amplification. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system, which is also used in hepatitis and HIV detection, can put the mixture inside tubes and “amplify.”

6. Virus detection. The machine will count the virus content and determine if they are positive or negative.

The cycle takes about one and a half hours to complete, significantly reducing the waiting period for tests that take days while using imported test kits.

Once the testing kit is validated by the WHO, it could be deployed for use in local hospitals. It is possible to produce about 200 kits in a week, with 6,000 already in stock as of the press time.