"A substantial proportion of these rapid tests -- 120 million -- will be made available to low- and middle-income countries," said Tedros. Global Fund executive director Peter Sands said the RDTs were no silver bullet but were a hugely valuable complement to PCR tests. He said that if the poorest countries were testing at the same rate as the richest, 120 million tests would not last two weeks. The tests could be used where PCR tests are unavailable; quickly testing contacts where a PCR test has confirmed a case; and in places with widespread community transmission. The 120 million tests reflect 20% of the firms' manufacturing capacity.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 28, 2020 18:33 UTC