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KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 – The Rapid Antibody Test Kit (ARTK) offered in private clinics for the detection of Covid-19 cannot be used for diagnosis, Director-General of Health Datuk Dr. Noor said today. Hisham Abdullah.
Recognizing the problem posed by certain sectors, Dr. Noor Hisham said that the ministry has always emphasized that the real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) is the only test capable of detecting Covid-19 pathogens. .
RT-PCR is a method derived from nuclear energy to detect the presence of specific genetic material of any pathogen, including a virus that could take 24 to 48 hours to obtain a conclusive result.
“The ARTK serology test, which requires a simple prick procedure to remove a drop of blood from the finger, cannot be used for diagnosis because the presence of antibodies cannot confirm an active infection.
“Similarly, a negative test result does not guarantee that the sampled individual is not infected with Covid-19,” he said at his daily Covid-19 news conference here.
However, Dr. Noor Hisham said that ARTK could be used for the purpose of studying the prevalence of Covid-19 among the population or specific groups such as migrant workers.
This, he said, was in line with the notice of the World Health Organization (WHO) according to which such tests could be for surveillance and epidemiology studies.
To date, Dr. Noor Hisham said there was no solid evidence from scientific studies to suggest that those who had fully recovered from Covid-19 and possessed antibodies to protect themselves from a second infection.
