Prolonged COVID-19... "Stockpiling 350,000 Diagnostic Kits" (Update)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The government has decided to stockpile 350,000 diagnostic kits in preparation for the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' quarantine team at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, announced the "Plan to Stabilize the Supply of Specimen Collection Kits" at a regular briefing held at the Government Complex Sejong on the 8th.

Yoon explained, "Currently, the daily supply of domestic specimen collection kits is about 34,000 units, which meets recent daily demand. However, to proactively respond to risks such as large-scale group infections and temporary shutdowns of manufacturers, we have prepared related measures."

The government plans to monitor domestic production and demand weekly to check for any shortages of kits in advance and will request manufacturers to increase production if necessary. In particular, public health centers will stockpile sufficient specimen collection kits in advance to prevent shortages even if testing volumes surge.

Yoon stated, "Public health centers will stockpile enough kits for two weeks of use, and the government will separately stockpile 350,000 kits to prepare for emergency situations that cannot be resolved locally." According to the quarantine authorities, 350,000 kits correspond to a one-week supply of 50,000 kits needed assuming 1,000 daily confirmed cases and a 2% positivity rate.

Additionally, the government will conduct a joint inspection of the quarantine situation with relevant ministries this week targeting domestic specimen collection kit manufacturers. Furthermore, the government will support research and development (R&D) of quarantine equipment, including specimen collection kits, with an annual budget of 1.2 billion KRW until 2022 and operate a corporate support center to provide consultations.

Yoon emphasized, "Considering that widespread diagnostic testing to quickly identify confirmed patients and isolate contacts is a key part of our quarantine system, stabilizing the supply of specimen collection kits is essential," and requested local governments to ensure public health centers stockpile sufficient quantities for at least two weeks of use.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.