The Ministry of Health (MOH) through the Medical Devices Authority (MDA) has released a list of two Covid-19 self-test kits that have gained provisional clearance for import and distribution in the nation.
Salixium, the first COVID-19 rapid antigen self-testing kit produced in Malaysia by MeDEKAD Sdn Bhd (MeDEKAD) is now available now at registered community pharmacies or health facilities.
The other one is called Gmate Covid-19 Ag Saliva For Home Use by Philosys Co Ltd, Korea.
Senarai dua kit ujian kendiri COVID-19 yang telah mendapat Kelulusan Bersyarat untuk diimport dan diedarkan di Malaysia.
Kit ujian ini boleh dijual di farmasi komuniti berdaftar atau fasiliti kesihatan.
Senarai ini akan dikemas kini dari semasa ke semasa. pic.twitter.com/1nrv9UeM5d
— KKMalaysia🇲🇾 (@KKMPutrajaya) July 18, 2021
Salixium is the first publicly available self-test kit in cooperation with MySejahtera, according to a Facebook post made by MeDEKAD on July 18th.
It is used for RTK-antigen detection of saliva and nasal swab samples, whereas the Gmate Covid-19 kit is used for RTK-antigen detection of saliva samples, all to be self-tested.
Medical Devices Authority (MDA) chief executive Ahmad Shariff Hambali claims that these self-test kits do not replace the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test’s real-time diagnostic capability.
He stated that the public may use the self-test kits to conduct self-screening to obtain results on their COVID-19 infection status quickly and simply before taking any further action.
“….used for screening and not as a diagnostics tool.”
This will aid in the diagnosis and control of COVID-19 infection while reducing the strain on health professionals.
MeDEKAD project manager Syahriah Razak stated that the rapid test takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete and that the outcome is assessed by visual bands that prove the presence of the antigen.
Salixium has been widely utilised in France, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates, particularly in Dubai, in addition to Malaysia.
Malaysians can now get these kits for only RM39.90 at pharmacies.