In order to prevent the penetration of the Delta coronavirus strain, Ukraine must return tight control and PCR tests at the border for visitors from Russia, Great Britain, Turkey and Egypt, said Mykhailo Radutsky, chairman of the parliamentary committee for the nation’s health, medical care and medical insurance. “On June 17, the government relaxed the quarantine. In Ukraine, as a state of the ‘green zone,’ they canceled the norm on compulsory PCR testing for citizens entering the country. I believe that it is necessary to introduce strict control for Ukrainians who return not only from Russia, Great Britain, but from resort destinations as well – Turkey, Egypt,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
In addition, Radutsky considers it necessary to maintain the norms of the mask regime and social distance and to speed up vaccination process as much as possible.
From June 1, Turkey is renewing the requirement to have a negative PCR test for the entry of Ukrainian citizens, according to the interactive map of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
“From June 1, Turkey returns the requirement to have a negative PCR test for the entry of Ukrainian citizens,” the interactive map of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine says.
The Synevo laboratory, part of the Swedish holding Medicover, has launched PCR tests that detect British and South African coronavirus (COVID-19) strains, including their currently known mutations.
According to Synevo’s press release, new PCR tests are carried out on new generation equipment and reagents from the U.S. company Abbott.
Investments in equipment for testing (two analyzers) amounted to more than EUR 200,000.
The tests detect the virus at the earliest stages of the disease, when the virus cells are still very little in the body, while other test systems will still give false negative results, although the person is already sick.
According to Synevo Development Director Mykola Butenko, new PCR tests allow detecting British and South African COVID-19 strains with the same accuracy as the previous COVID-19 strains.
In addition, new PCR tests, in addition to detecting COVID-19, can determine the viral load of SARS-CoV-2 on the body and the likely stage of the disease.
“We have received official confirmation from the head office of Abbott in the United States that new PCR tests detect two new strains of coronavirus: British and South African. These results were obtained by Abbott in clinical trials, and the reagents have already received international FDA accreditation,” Butenko said in a press release.
Synevo said that Abbott’s PCR tests are one of the most reliable in the world, their sensitivity is only 100 copies per 1 ml of biomaterial, while the sensitivity of other PCR tests for COVID-19 available on the Ukrainian market, from 400 copies and higher. This sensitivity allows almost completely eliminate false negative results.
Synevo is Ukraine’s largest network of medical laboratories, a division of the Swedish medical holding Medicover. The Synevo network consists of more than 300 laboratory centers operating in more than 115 cities throughout Ukraine, as well as seven laboratories in which more than 1,500 types of tests are performed.
Kyiv-based Biocor Technology LTD, a Ukrainian producer of test systems, has announcement the development of PCR tests for coronavirus (COVID-19).
“At the beginning of July 2020, the diagnostics test kits for SARS-CoV-2 underwent state registration. Laboratories have started using the development. The price of the tests for SARS-CoV-2 is three times lower than the products of western producers,” the company said on a press release.
The tests are made of raw materials produced by Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Biocor Technology LTD will focus on the production and improvement of the product and will sell it through distributors, the company head, Oleksiy Sayutin, said.
The company has been developing PCR tests since 2018. It started to work on the tests for SARS-CoV-2 in February 2020.
Biocor Technology LTD produces various PCR tests. It is certified in line with international standards ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016.
According to the state register, the founder and the beneficiary of the company is Maryna Byrsia.
Ukraine has launched the domestic production of PCR tests and the first batch of 200,000 tests has been sent to regions, Secretary of the Coordination Council for Fight against COVID-19, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Tymoshenko said.
“As we promised a few weeks ago, Ukraine has launched the production of PCR tests. Today we have received the first batch of 200,000 tests. They will be sent to regions, the laboratories specialized in PCR testing, during the weekend,” the president’s press service cited him.
According to Tymoshenko, another batch of 400,000 tests is expected to be ready next week. The production of domestic PCR tests will continue and they will be distributed among healthcare institutions.
