KOTA KINABALU, April 3 — Sabah state government today received 5,000 Covid-19 reagent test kits needed by the State Health Department to conduct detection test for the virus.

State Secretary Datuk Safar Untong said the test kits worth RM900,000 were sourced from Singapore and were sent to Sabah by the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) using a Royal Malaysian Air Force aircraft.

He said with the arrival of the reagent test kits, the Sabah government hoped that the test on the remaining samples would be accelerated.

"Besides, Sabah has also received 200,000 pieces of face masks, 50,000 pairs of gloves, 10,000 litres of disinfectant and some other essential items to be used at the Health Ministry laboratory in Sabah.

"We are thankful to Nadma for working hard to deliver the medical supply to Sabah. These supplies are very critical and very much needed,” he told reporters after receiving the medical equipment at Terminal 2, Kota Kinabalu International Airport, here today.

Meanwhile, Sabah Health Department director Datuk Dr Christina Rundi said the reagent test kits received today would last a week depending on how many Covid-19 detection tests needed to be done.

At present, she said the department has about 3,000 samples that are yet to be processed with the laboratory conducting 700 to 800 tests daily.

"Thus, there is a continuous need for this reagent test kits,” she said. — Bernama