Rapid antigen test kits to be available soon, promises Anutin
The national committee on communicable disease supports the use of rapid antigen test kits in the 300 state hospitals, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who chairs the panel, said on Monday.
He added that this will cut down queues for the more accurate RT-PCR test, but the kits can only be distributed once the Thai Food and Drug Administration gives it a stamp of approval.
Anutin added that the aim is to eventually make the antigen test kits widely available, so people can use them at home.
Separately, the committee has also decided that recipients of the first Sinovac jab can get AstraZeneca for their second shot as it will be more effective against the new mutants.
“The time period between doses is around three or four weeks and hospitals can from now on follow this practice,” he added.
The committee has also decided that frontline medics should get a third dose of the vaccine for boosting their immunity. The third dose will mostly be the AstraZeneca vaccine, Anutin added.
