18 September 2021 12:00 am Views - 123
By Sheain Fernandopulle
The Health Ministry yesterday rubbished claims that the daily Covid cases reflect a downward trend only due to reduction of testing –PCR and Rapid Antigen Tests.
Deputy Director-General of Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath said antigen testing had been prioritised over PCR testing due to efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
“However, we have not deliberately reduced the number of PCR tests though there can be fluctuations,” he stressed.
Dr. Herath said steps had also been taken to scale up PCR testing capacity and it could be done when necessary.
“At a time we are experiencing a slight decrease in COVID infections and deaths, we don’t want to reduce testing capacity rather than maintaining it in order to show the real picture of the pandemic,” he said.
He said there is a slight delay in getting Antigen Test results on daily basis due to technical issues in several areas. “However, we are getting them the following day. Then, the results are added to the count,” he added.