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More than 400 COVID-19 cases found in West Java through rapid testing
People who have tested positive for the illness will undergo regular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to confirm the diagnosis as soon as the test kits are ready.
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Health workers carry out COVID-19 rapid tests, developed by the Frankfurt University Clinic and the German Red Cross, which allow a significant increase in the rate of testing, in Frankfurt, Germany, on March 31. (REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach)
T
he West Java Health Agency has found 409 new cases of COVID-19 across the province after a week of mass rapid testing. Blood samples from more than 10,000 people have been tested so far.
People who tested positive for the illness will undergo regular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to confirm the diagnosis as soon as the test kits are ready.
The PCR tests, which use swab samples, are considered more accurate, although they take some time.
The agency's head, Berli Hamdani, said the kits were being prepared by Padjadjaran University in Bandung, Hasan Sadikin Hospital and the province's Health Research and Development Agency.
Read also: People with COVID-19 symptoms still need to perform full tests: Health Ministry
"The swab test results will be forwarded to the West Java health laboratory for confirmation," Berli explained in a written statement on Wednesday.
He added that authorities were tracing people who had been in contact with the 409 patients.
The majority of the cases were found at a police academy in Sukabumi. National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Argo Yuwono said that 300 of the 1,550 students had tested positive for the disease.
He said the day before that only seven students had tested positive for COVID-19.
West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said he was awaiting the results of follow-up testing before confirming the cases. (vny)
