South Africa produces first Covid test kit

South Africa has started manufacturing rapid Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits in an effort to stop relying on imports and improve the country’s competitiveness, said Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Blade Nzimande.

In a statement on Saturday, he said CapeBio, a local biotechnology company, has started manufacturing the PCR test kits with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the Minister, this would make it easier for the country and the African continent to speedily access test kits which they were importing.

This latest development is part of a concerted effort by the department and its partners to build local capabilities to respond to viruses like Covid-19, Nzimande said.

Ensuring that diagnostics, vaccines are locally manufactured means that South Africa need not depend on foreign imports of life-saving products. This is crucial, as the Covid19 pandemic has shown how difficult it is for the developing world to compete with richer nations for access to such products.

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