Home-based COVID testing kits to arrive in Taiwan next week

Source: Taiwan News by Huang Tzu-ti

The first shipments of home-based COVID-19 rapid testing kits are expected to arrive in Taiwan next week as the authorities draft guidelines for self-administered screenings.

The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two single-use products for coronavirus detection, including one antigen test and one PCR test. Both require only a simple nasal swab to deliver a diagnostic result, wrote CNA.

An FDA official pointed out that both the screening tools have a high positive percent agreement (PPA) rate, meaning the results are generated with high sensitivity. The kits for the antigen and PCR tests have 82 percent and 90 percent PPA rates, respectively.

The products can only be purchased at licensed businesses, including pharmacies and medical equipment stores. Individuals who test positive will need to undergo a PCR test at a community or hospital screening center for a more accurate diagnosis.

Source: Taiwan News