M’sians Beware: Covid-19 Speed Test Kits Being Sold Online Are Fake, Warns MOH and Health DG

As the Covid-19 case total continues to rise nationwide, health authorities are doing everything in their power to provide the public with fully functional test kits to ensure that the infected are quarantined and treated immediately.

However, amidst this rush for resources, it has recently come to the attention of MOH that there are people trying to take advantage of this surge in demand for speed test kits with multiple ads across Facebook offering the public these kits for RM99 each, a much cheaper price than what is charged at private hospitals.

These ads claim that the test kit is able to deliver results within three minutes as compared to the Ministry of Health’s standard operating procedure (MOH) which typically takes several hours. As the public is becoming more susceptible to the purchase of these test kits, Health DG, Datuk Noor Hisham Abdullah decided to clear the air about the availability of these test kits:

“As of now, there are none that can be used to check for Covid-19 as it doesn’t have the certification to diagnose,” said the DG to Harian Metro. According to the respected national figure, no Covid-19 test kits are allowed to go on sale to the public as MOH has not issued any authorizations for companies to sell them.

Dr Noor Hisham used the opportunity to remind the public that they should be careful with online offers that sell speed test kits. If you’re curious as to whether these kits are verified, you can always get more information about it from MOH itself. The news portal found that ads selling these test kits have become increasingly popular amongst netizens on Facebook with many asking about the effectiveness and price of test kits from China.

There are even allegations that these testing kits are still going through their “trial phase” and thus there is no valid data on its effectiveness. 

Previously, MOH clarified that in addition to hospitals, government health centres and private hospitals were also allowed to hold Covid-19 screening tests for an estimated cost of RM500 charged to whoever wanted to be tested. This was done to reduce the burden of lab resources used by MOH so it could be used to find more effective ways of treatment and speed up the decision making process for further action to be taken.

Don’t fall into the trap of buying these fake test kits, guys! Always ensure you’re tested from a verified MOH institution.

 

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