ArmInfo. Production of domestic tests for coronavirus will significantly reduce government spending in this direction. The Minister of Health of the Republic of Armenia Arsen Torosyan stated this on June 12 in the parliament during the discussion of the report on the implementation of the state budget for 2019.
The Minister informed that in the case of PCR tests acquired from China, the cost of one test for coronavirus is about $ 30. Taking into account that about 1000 COVID-19 tests are carried out in Armenia daily, the costs per day reach $ 30 thousand, and in the monthly terms- $ 1 million. Torosyan expressed hope that the production of domestic tests will significantly reduce these expenses. Earlier it was reported that the Institute of Molecular Biology of the NAS of Armenia is ready to produce 1-2 thousand tests for coronavirus daily. It was noted that the sensitivity of these tests is high and they can detect the virus even at a relatively low titer (concentration). After the trial period, it is planned to produce about 1-2 thousand tests daily. Testing of the domestic test for COVID-19 is carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia and the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention.