Govt allows Covid antibody testing
“Now we have given the permission to do antibody test for Covid-19. Hence, the antibody test will be started from now after my declaration"
Bangladesh today permitted antibody testing for suspected Covid-19 patients in the country's designated laboratories and hospitals.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Sunday at the secretariat said that there had been a long-standing demand for the permission of antibody tests in the country.
"Now we have given the permission to do antibody test and it will be started from now after my declaration," the minister told.
Earlier, last year in August, the government decided to allow antigen tests for the suspected Covid-19 patients instead of antibody test at the government laboratories and hospitals.
An antibody test reveals if a person has already been exposed to an infection, by detecting antibodies in their blood or serum. An antigen test reveals if a person is currently infected with a pathogen. Once the infection has gone, the antigen disappears.
Minister Zahid Maleque further added that the country has already received some 20 lakh doses from India's gift and around 50 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine, purchased from India's Serum Institute, will reach home tomorrow.
