BANGKOK, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Ministry of Public Health on Tuesday said it is ramping up more lab capacities to run COVID-19 tests as the country is facing rising numbers of the virus infections.
Forty more labs will be given approval to run tests for COVID-19 infections by the end of April, according to the ministry's Department of Medical Sciences.
"We have now 57 labs currently being assessed and certified to run tests, we just need to assess 40 more labs before they can begin testing," said the department's director-general Opart Karnkawinpong.
"So once we have all the 97 labs up and running, they will then have the combined capacity to do 10,000 daily tests in Bangkok and surrounding provinces, and another 10,000 tests a day in the other provinces," said Opart.
"The virus detection test will provide a more accurate result and would show positive 5-7 days after an individual contracted the disease," explained the department head.
Opart said one of the fastest, most reliable test methods currently is the real-time polymerase chain reaction, recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
As of Tuesday, the Ministry of Public Health reported 127 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number to 1,651 infections and one fatality, 10 deaths in total.
