Indonesia aims to produce reagents for SGTF test to detect Omicron variant

Indonesian Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin (Photo: Indonesia's Press Bureau)

Budi previously explained that the difference between the ordinary PCR test and the SGTF PCR test lies in the special reagent kit needed for SGTF.

The Health Ministry have collaborated with universities to make domestic products, he said, voicing a hope that in less than three months the reagents which can carry out domestic SGTF testing will be developed.

The ministry so far has distributed a number of SGTF test kits at the country's ports of entry, either by land, sea or air. These efforts are hoped to minimise the transmission rate of the Omicron variant in Indonesia.

On the same day, the Indonesian government decided to increase the number of PCR test for arrivals during mandatory quarantine to three.

To date, Indonesia has reported 46 COVID-19 cases of the Omicron variant. The first one was reported on December 16. A janitor at the Wisma Atlet Jakarta Hospital was infected with the new variant of the virus./.

VNA