Thursday 25 March 2021
Police Commissioner and Controller of the PNG COVID-19 National Pandemic Response David Manning has issued a new direction on the use of Panbio COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Diagnostic Test (Ag-RDT) for COVID-19.
Mr Manning has authorised the Port Moresby General Hospital, all Provincial Health Authorities and all private health facilities and hospitals to use Panbio COVID-19 Ag-RDT to test suspected case of COVID-19.
Certain conditions have been placed on this authorization including:
- Testing to be limited to the following classes of person –
- Persons who have been symptomatic as per the case definition (Measure 8), for seven (7) days or less; and
- Close contacts.
- Ag-RDT is not to be used for mass testing or screening of asymptomatic people, except in accordance with the Measures;
- All tests are to be confirmed by RT-PCR or GeneXpert COVID-19 tests;
- All positive test results must be immediately confirmed by GeneXpert COVID-19 test if possible or RT-PCR; and
- All persons who test positive shall be isolated and treated as a positive COVID-19 case until confirmatory test is received according to paragraph 4.
This direction was issued on March 23 and remains in effect until further notice.
The Directive can be viewed in details on this covid19 official website under the Controller Directives Section.
Media contact: Chief Superintendent Dominic D. Kakas, BEM, DPS
COVID-19 Media & Public Information Joint Agency Task Force
Mobile: 75430557 email: ddkakas@gmail.com
Police email: ddkakas.policemedia@gmail.com
COVID-19 JATF email: ddkakas.covid19media@gmail.com