No further tests required for Covid patients after quarantine period, says health DG

The health ministry has reiterated that those who test positive for Covid-19 and have completed their quarantine do not need to undergo further Covid-19 testing.

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said ultra-sensitive test methods such as RT-PCR would still be able to detect the presence of viral genetic material in respiratory tract samples up to two to three months after infection.

“During the viral shedding period, for example. However, the virus is no longer able to reproduce and the individual is unlikely to be able to spread the infection,” he said in a statement.

Noor Hisham also said that Covid-19 antigen rapid test kits (RTK-Ag), both the self-test and professional types, can detect infection from the third to the seventh day of exposure to those already infected with Covid-19.

He said RT-PCR tests can also detect infection as early as the second to 14th day after infection, and as such, the accuracy of both types of tests depends on the duration of infection at the time the sample was taken.

“The use of RTK-Ag is recommended for individuals who are symptomatic or are in a high-risk group and asymptomatic.

“RTK-Ag helps facilitate the detection process and control of Covid-19 infection because the method is simple, easy, inexpensive, and can be done at point-of-care. The testing process is quick and test results can be obtained in about 20 to 30 minutes,” he said.

Meanwhile, Noor Hisham said patients who test positive through RTK-Ag self-tests need to report their results through MySejahtera, update their health status via the Home Assessment Tool and undergo isolation as required by the health ministry.

As for professional RT-PCR and RTK-Ag tests, laboratories or medical practitioners who carry out the tests must immediately report the results to the ministry through the Public Health Laboratory Information System (Simka), he said.

“The health ministry recommends that all self or professional RTK Ag tests or RT-PCR conducted be reported to the ministry via MySejahtera or Simka, regardless of whether the results are positive or negative, to help the ministry get a clearer picture of the infection rate in the community,” he said.