The mass COVID-19 testing of people in Keelung City will be done using rapid tests, not PCR tests. That’s according to Central Epidemic Command Center official Victor Wang on Thursday.
Health authorities in Taiwan are scrambling to contain outbreaks of COVID-19 in several areas of Taiwan right now. One of them is Keelung City in northern Taiwan, where a total of 68 people have tested positive for the disease in the past few days.
Health official Victor Wang says authorities have decided to use take-home rapid tests to carry out mass testing in the city. He says that’s because the Omicron variant of COVID spreads very quickly, and he’s worried Taiwan doesn’t have much time to get people tested.
Wang also says rapid tests are accurate and convenient, and authorities can deliver them at a large scale. Anyone who tests positive on a rapid test will take a PCR test to confirm whether they have COVID-19 or not.
As for the details of the mass testing plan, Wang says government health officials are still in discussion with Keelung authorities.