The Thien Nhan Centre for High-tech Medical Diagnosis, a private medical facility in Da Nang, has been licensed to conduct Covid-19 testing, a spokesperson for the Da Nang Department of Health announced on Saturday.

Medical laboratory technicians at the Thien Nhan Centre for High-tech Medical Diagnosis conducting Covid-19 testing

The licencing for this private medical facility will help the city increase Covid-19 testing capacity, as well as find it easier to implement large-scale tests.

Dr Ngo Duc Hai, the Director of the Thien Nhan Centre for High-tech Medical Diagnosis, said that his centre has been installed with good quality equipment for coronavirus testing, including a Realtime PCR machine, a biological safety cabinet level II Novapro Neo 1500, and an autoclave.

The centre's molecular biological testing system has been used for the testing of hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) viruses, and early detection of cervical cancer (HPV-DNA type identification), especially for SARS-CoV-2.

After Da Nang saw a second wave of Covid-19 infections in late July, 7 public and private medical facilities have been allowed to conduct coronavirus testing till date. They are the Da Nang General Hospital, the Da Nang Lung Hospital, the 199 Hospital under the Ministry of Public Security, the Da Nang Centre for Disease Control, the C17 Military Hospital under the Military Zone 5 High Command, the Vinmec Da Nang International Hospital and the Thien Nhan Centre for High-tech Medical Diagnostic.

Positive test results reported by these testing facilities are required to send to the Da Nang Centre for Disease Control for confirmation.

Since 25 July, local medical workers have taken swab samples from more than 100,000 people across Da Nang to test for the virus, and many positive cases of coronavirus have been detected in the city till date .

By PHAN CHUNG - Translated by M.D