Mobile lab BSL-2 ready for COVID-19 testing in provinces

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Health Ministry has distributed Mobile Lab BSL (Bio Safety Level) 2 to 10 provinces across Indonesia to facilitate COVID-19 testing in the regions.

The Mobile Lab BSL 2 were developed by Rajawali Global Investama (RGI) in cooperation with the Padjajaran University.

"The mobile lab has met the standard of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Health Ministry for BSL-2," head of the innovation team Prof. Keri Lestari said in a statement here on Sunday.

According to Lestari, the mobile lab would help the government to conduct testing, tracing and treatment/isolation (3T) of COVID-19 patients and facilitate the public to conduct swab test PCR as a standard diagnose for COVID-19.

"The mobile lab have been equipped with biosafety cabinet level II A2 to prevent the virus from infecting the testers, negative-pressured laboratory, installation of HEPA Filter to prevent the release of the virus to the environment and had been certified by World Bio Haz Tec. It also bagged the design certificate (SKRB) from the Transportation Ministry to guarantee the safety and feasibility of the vehicle's design," Lestari said.

The facility is expected to improve regions' testing and tracing capacity, she said.

Those who are tested positive for the virus could conduct self-isolation under the online monitoring of the health authority through Indonesia Test Trace & Isolation (InaTTI) application that has been integrated with the laboratory system in the mobile lab.

Self-isolation under the virtual monitoring of the health authority has become a solution for the limited COVID-19 referral hospitals.

"To support its concept in pandemic handling, the mobile lab is equipped with InaTTI application integrated with the Health Ministry's web-based data center," Lestari added.

The mobile lab would not only detect COVID-19 infection but to diagnose other diseases such as tuberculose. When the mass vaccination is implemented, this mobile lab will function as the car to bring the vaccine to support vaccination program across the country, she said. (*)