adminTOKYO. — Japan appears set to approve the use of testing kits which claim to be able to detect the coronaviria antigens within 30 minutes as the host nation for the next Olympic and Paralympic Games seeks to improve a testing regime it has been criticised over. Manufacturer Fujirebio can provide 200 000 tests per week and Japanese news agency Kyodo reports that the Government will approve the use of these kits on Wednesday.
The Japanese Government has faced criticism from some quarters over the number of people it is testing, with nations such as Italy and Germany estimated to be testing more than 10 times as many people relative to the population size.
On Friday, Japan’s Health Ministry relaxed testing guidelines which meant only those with prolonged symptoms or in high-risk groups could be tested.
Japan has so far relied on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which need samples to be sent to laboratories and results therefore take at least several hours to come back.
However, PCR tests are believed to be more accurate than antigen tests.
There have now been more than 16 000 confirmed coronavirus cases in Japan and in excess of 600 deaths, with the country under a state of emergency until at least the end of May, but the number of cases would no doubt be higher if more people had access to tests.
Tokyo is one of the worst-hit regions.
The virus will need to be contained in Japan if Tokyo 2020 is to go ahead next year as currently planned – either through the development of a vaccine of through thorough testing and contact tracing.
South Korea, where baseball and football are among the sports to have returned behind closed doors, has been praised for its contact-tracing regime. — Insidethegames.com.
Online Reporter