Health Ministry Investigating Potential Use Of COVID-19 Self-Test Kits

The Ministry of Health and Wellness is looking into the potential use of coronavirus (COVID-19) self-test kits locally for personal and firm-level surveillance or monitoring of the virus.

This was disclosed by Portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton during a statement to Parliament on November 9.

“There have been some queries concerning the use of the self-test, which means a test which you administer on yourself, as opposed to a lab doing the actual testing. This has become more popular globally, as the technology evolves and is becoming now a more important part of the overall self-check at the organisation level check,” Dr. Tufton said.

“The Ministry will review the information that is available and investigate how such a test could be used in our situation. I have had meetings with the critical technocrats within the Ministry and this discussion will be expanded to [other] critical stakeholders, with the intention of assessing and, hopefully, allowing for the introduction, sooner rather than later, of these self-test kits for personal use and firm-level surveillance,” he added.

Dr. Tufton said that the Health Ministry is also in dialogue with the Ministry of Transport and Mining as it relates to the standard requirements of airlines that require COVID-19 testing for travel.

“This is with a view of attempting to meet those requirements. Some of those requirements are not up to us; it is what the airliners require. They normally require a lab-validated test [and] to the extent that we can make the process more efficient and less expensive, then we will pursue that,” he noted.