Iran’s Defense Ministry unveils rapid test kits for novel coronavirus

A biomedicine company affiliated with the Iranian Defense Ministry has unveiled homemade rapid tests kits for new coronavirus as the country moves to contain an outbreak that has affected tens of thousands of people.

A military commander supervising the development of the test kits said on Monday that the diagnostics tool will be able to determine the disease in three hours.

Brigadier General Azizi Delshad said that kits are capable of identifying all genomes related to the new coronavirus, helping health authorities to increase diagnostic capacity and save patients in early stages of contracting the COVID-19.

Delshad told the IRIB News that the prototypes of the kit had been developed in early March, adding that the Iranian health ministry has certified the kits for mass production.

“This kit is nothing short of its rivals in the world and in some cases there has been privileges in terms of accuracy and precision,” he said, adding that the Defense Ministry was capable of producing the kits in large numbers in a short period of time to respond to orders inside and outside Iran.

 Some 41,495 people have been infected with COVID-19 since the disease was spotted in Iran more than month ago. Nearly 14,000 people have recovered and over 2,750 patients have died from the illness, according to figures provided by the health ministry on Monday.

International organizations have hailed Iran’s response to the new coronavirus outbreak, especially at a time the country is under a series of harsh economic sanctions by the United States.

Representatives of the World Health Organization who visited Iran during early stages of the outbreak in late February said that they had been impressed by the level of self-sufficiency in the country to procure of vital medical equipment and protective gear needed to fight the new coronavirus.