Reagents in short supply as Health Ministry continues screenings for Covid-19

PUTRAJAYA, April 7 — The Health Ministry’s existing supply of reagents for Covid-19 tests can last for another week, said its director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said three companies currently supply reagents to the ministry, but could only provide 40 per cent of what was needed, leading to a shortage sometime last week.

“So due to the reagent shortage, we look at other places including Singapore (to source for more). The Sabah Health Department is trying to obtain more reagents as well,” Dr Noor Hisham said at the daily Health Ministry press conference.

He added that ministries and agencies were working together to source for more reagents. 

“Although supplies can last for a week, we have since contacted other suppliers, and hope the reagents can be provided as soon as possible in the nearest future. Thus it is important that we optimise the usage of existing reagents like the RT-PCR test, such as for a pool of five samples.

“Asides from the RT-PCR test, we are also looking at other methods like the rapid test kits for reagents. We have been informed the kits have just arrived (from South Korea) and it will take one to two days more to carry out verifications for the test,” Dr Noor Hisham said.

The director-general also said they were working to increase tests to the maximum capacity.

“We can still test up to 11,500 people on a daily basis, and remain dedicated to increasing that number as much as possible, up to over 20,000,” he said.

As of 12pm today, 170 new Covid-19 positive cases have been reported, bringing the total number of cases in Malaysia to 3,963. 80 people have recovered and were allowed to discharge today, bringing the total number of recoveries and discharges to 1,321.

Currently 92 Covid-19 cases are being treated in Intensive Care Units, with 50 of them requiring breathing assistance. The Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre also recorded one death from Covid-19 today, a 71-year-old man from Perlis who attended the religious gathering in Sulawesi, Indonesia last month and who died after seeking treatment in Johor.

Worldwide the number of Covid-19 cases has since reached 1,359,010, with 293,454 recoveries and 75,901 deaths respectively. The United States, Spain, and Italy occupy the top three ranks of countries most affected by the pandemic, with 367,650 infections and 10,943   deaths, 140,510 infections and 13,798 deaths, and 132,547 infections and 16,523 deaths, respectively.