ADK Hospital has developed and installed a Covid-19 testing system that will increase the country’s testing capacity.

Noting that a Roche LightCycler PCR system has been installed, the hospital said that this will add “several hundred tests per day” to the national Covid-19 testing capacity. Over 500 tests can be carried out daily, using this system.

ADK Trade and Shipping also said that they offer the LightCycler 480 II instrument, which can test over 1,500 tests per day.

Covid-19 testing is currently being conducted at two laboratories in the Maldives; at the National Reference Laboratory at Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) and the Forensic Laboratory at Maldives Police Service.

While the country currently has the capacity to carry out 200-300 tests a day, it has been revealed that a testing machine will arrive on May 17. An additional 200 – 250 tests can be carried out per day with the additional machine.

Health officials have expressed concern over the testing capacity in the country, noting they cannot be certain if the country has reached the projected surge at the current capacity.

While a surge in number of cases is projected in the next two weeks with a peak expected on the 31st, with over 1,500 cases to be detected that given adequate testing.