Following fresh approval by the Da Nang administration, the costs of SARS-CoV-2 testing services is not covered by the health insurance fund at medical examination and treatment facilities citywide.

All patients with or without health insurance cards must pay the charges for SARS-CoV-2 testing services.

In addition, the health insurance fund will not cover SARS-CoV-2 testing fees conducted by organisations and businesses, relevant agencies and individuals.

However, the new rule is not applied to cases of taking and preserving samples, performing tests and returning test results in the community paid for by the State budget in accordance with the national Law on Disease Prevention and Control.

As for the price of SARS-CoV-2 testing services, a SARS-CoV-2 Ag rapid test costs VND16,400/test, whilst automatic/semi-automatic immunoassay for SARS-CoV-2 Ag is priced at 38,500 VND/test and testing by Realtime RT-PCR technique in the case of single sampling is VND166,800/test.

In the group-testing method using the Realtime RT-PCR technique, a person must pay VND94,300 for a ‘pooled test’ of samples taken from 5 individuals or fewer at the sampling place and VND139,300/test at the laboratory.

In case of the 6 - 10 pooled testing, VND76,000 VND/test is set at the sampling place and VND122,500/test at the laboratory.

The above-mentioned regulations are valid until December 31, 2022.

Reporting by THIEN DUYEN – Translating by A. THU