Government puts R18m into quest to produce local Covid-19 test kits
Awards for developing rapid test kits arise from urgent need to source components locally amid surge in demand
07 July 2020 - 17:10
The government has awarded R18m to seven local companies, organisations and researchers developing test kits and reagents for SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
The rapid spread of the coronavirus since it emerged in China late in 2019 has precipitated a surge in demand for test kits and reagents, and sent governments around the world scrambling to source supplies. The global shortage is one of the biggest constraints facing both state and private sector laboratories, which are now rationing tests to ensure they reach the sickest and most vulnerable patients...
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