Saudi Arabia Is Going To Start Manufacturing PCR Test Kits Locally Soon
Since the onset of the pandemic, Saudi Arabia’s research labs have been working nonstop to curb the spread of COVID-19.
This includes working on developing reliable and sensitive testing kits that can be manufactured locally
Typical PCR tests allow samples to be readily tested and provide results within hours to a day or two at most. But with increased demand, home-testing kit manufacturing is also on the rise to overcome the limitations to the increasingly high amount of testing, especially given the rapid spread of the delta variant.
According to local media, Dr. Samir Hamdan, a professor of biological sciences, and his team at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology’s (KAUST) Rapid Research Response Team, have, like many researchers around the world, been working on producing PCR test kits locally.
The RT-PCR test kit has now been subjected to rigorous testing in laboratory environments in cooperation with laboratories from the Ministry of Health and then in the testing facilities of King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center and the Saudi Public Health Authority.
Wide-spread production and usage are expected to roll out soon.
