Govt plans to open antigen tests for COVID-19

Bangladesh has decided to open antigen tests for the COVID-19 illness in government hospitals on a limited scale and cut test fees for travellers, reports bdnews24.com.

The government has yet to decide on the launch of the antibody tests in Bangladesh, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Monday.

Bangladesh is conducting RT-PCR tests in 88 government-authorised laboratories to detect the coronavirus in swab samples.

"Government hospitals and laboratories are allowed to conduct antigen tests on a limited scale. The private hospitals will also be permitted to provide services under the government supervision in the future," Maleque said.

An antigen test is considered highly accurate and can provide results in minutes, while an RT-PCR test to detect the coronavirus from swab samples takes several hours, experts said.

The government reduced coronavirus test fees by 50 percent to Tk 100 for state-run hospitals on Aug 19.

The charge of sample collection from home has been reduced to Tk 300 from Tk 500. The COVID-19 test fees for overseas travellers have also been reduced from Tk 3,500 to Tk 1,500.