The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has sped up rapid antigen testing as the latest weapon in fighting the current wave of COVID-19 infections, which are threatening to overwhelm the country’s capital.
Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang said the BMA has, so far, deployed officials to conduct rapid COVID-19 tests on residents in six districts. The test kits provide results within 30 minutes and are over 90% accurate.
He said people who return a negative result will be allowed to return home, while those who test positive must take an RT-PCR test to confirm the infection.
The governor said this method enables the BMA to conduct tests on up to 2,000 people per day and laboratories to return test results within two days, adding that the National Health Security Office (NHSO) will offer home and community isolation services or hospitalisation to people whose rapid antigen test comes back positive.
