Penang unveils country’s first Covid-19 mass screening test kit

GEORGE TOWN – Penang has unveiled the country’s first on-site community mass screening for Covid-19 as part of its efforts to arrest the spread of the pandemic which already recorded over 3,000 cases in the state.

State Housing, Local Government and Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo revealed that the state has tied up with the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (northern chapter) and technical specialist Info Kinetics Sdn Bhd to undertake the initiative called “Penang Safe”.

“It is aimed at encouraging everyone in Penang to undergo the testing, especially the vulnerable groups where they can get an accurate, affordable and effective swab or saliva testing with quick real time results,” Jagdeep said at a press conference here today.

The test utilises a pooled polymerase chain reaction testing method and it is coordinated by Info Kinetics which is based at the Gleneagles Hospital here.

Jagdeep said that in the initial stage, emphasis would be given to the foreign workers, particularly those working in the industrial zones.

It is believed that out of the 3,000 cases, a majority came from confined working or living spaces such as factory production floors and from the two prison complexes spread out over many cells.

Jagdeep said Penang has 135,450 registered foreign workers but only 15,000 were tested as of today.

He added there are only 51 registered clinics to conduct the testing which is inadequate and added that the red zones in Mukim 12 and 13 as well as those living in cluster areas, should volunteer themselves for the mass screening.

“We cannot disregard this pandemic. Look today, it has mutated, and it is 70% more infectious than previous strains. I think the virus is trying to outsmart us,” said Jagdeep.

He added this pooled test allows massive testing of up to 50 persons in one pool and the results can be known within 15 minutes.

It is accurate and can be used for mass group screenings, said Info Kinetics managing director Dr Lee Toong Chew.

Lee said that the testing should commence next month, and it will initially be done for workers in the manufacturing sector, but any party interested in the test can register for it.

For more information, visit  www.penangsafe.com – The Vibes, December 24, 2020.