A new Antigen Rapid Test kit is scheduled to arrive from South Korea this week, and once approved could increase daily Covid-19 tests conducted.

Ministry of Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the kit would be verified by MoH on its accuracy and sensitivity.

“We are hoping this new kit’s sensitivity, specificity and accuracy rate will be over 80 per cent so that we can improve the number of tests conducted daily to 16,500 from the present 11,500,” Bernama reported him as saying.

The DGs announcement came on the day the number of recovered cases and discharged patients breached 1,000 with 90 patients returning home Sunday.

“This brings to 1,005 the number of patients recovered and discharged,” the DG said when briefing the media on the situation in the country.

Dr Noor Hisham also reminded the public to be forthcoming with their disclosures to doctors.

“They should provide honest information if they have had close contact with Covid-19 patients, travelled abroad or had attended gatherings linked to Covid-19 infections.

For instance, he said health officials discovered a cluster that originated from case which had a travel history to Italy.

“From that case, 37 were tested positive, five deaths and one critical case currently in the intensive care unit requiring respiratory equipment aid.

“This cluster has infections up to the third generation,” he explained.

Dr Noor Hisham said import cases stemming from overseas travel remains a high risk in the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

Up to noon Sunday, 180 nations have been affected by the pandemic.

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