500 COVID-19 test kits are sent to Indonesia with the assistance of the Indonesia Embassy to Việt Nam. — Photo courtesy of Indonesia Embassy to Việt Nam

HÀ NỘI — 500 COVID-19 test kits made by Việt Nam have been delivered to Indonesia to support the country’s fight against COVID-19.

The test kits were considered "gifts of friendship" from Việt Nam's Ministry of Science and Technology to the Southeast Asian neighbour.

The kit, Light Power IVASARS-CoV-2 1stRT-rPCR (VA.A02-055H) using WHO-approved RT-PCR (Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) lab technique, is manufactured by Việt Á Corporation. It allows for 50 tests with results obtained after an hour only with samples from the throat swab or respiratory tract.

The test kit is also compatible with most existing PCR devices so there's no need to buy new machines, according to the manufacturer.

Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management and Soekarno-Hatta Airport Health Authority received the package on Sunday and delivered it to Professor Sri Oemijati of the Laboratory for Infectious Disease Research in Jakarta.

"All the test kits were sent to the Indonesian Ministry of Health from Nội Bài Cargo Terminal using Singapore Airlines Cargo on April 3, 2020 and arrived in Jakarta on April 5, 2020 at 19.20," Ibnu Hadi, Indonesian Ambassador to Việt Nam, said through a press release.

Indonesia is suffering a severe shortage of medical supplies.

According to the data site Worldometer, only 36 in every million Indonesians are tested for SARS-CoV-2, placing the country fourth-worst in the coronavirus testing rate.

As of Tuesday, the Southeast Asian country reported 2,491 infections including 209 deaths and 192 recoveries.

Last Friday, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyễn Quốc Dũng also handed over medical equipment worth over VNĐ7 billion (US$304,000) each as gifts from the Vietnamese Government and people to their Lao and Cambodian counterparts to help them better respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The packages include hazmat suits, medical masks, testing systems and COVID-19 test kits. — VNS