From today on Sunday, BRAC will conduct antigen-based Covid-19 rapid testing in nine cattle markets run by the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) (18 July). The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) is assisting in the establishment of a Surokkha corner in each of these cattle markets, where BRAC staff will collect samples. The UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is assisting BRAC and DGHS in this effort.
Surokkha corners at the cattle market in Sayeednagar, Bhatara, were inaugurated by DNCC mayor Atiqul Islam at 11 a.m. today. Dr. Mirna Zaman, technical manager of BRAC’s Health, Nutrition, and Population Programme (HNPP), was among those in attendance. She briefed the mayor on the various aspects of the project.
Starting today, the service will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. until 20 July (Tuesday), the previous day of Eid. Anyone who has had contact with a confirmed Covid patient or is experiencing Covid-19 symptoms such as fever, dry cough, fatigue, sore throat, or respiratory difficulties is eligible to take the test at Surokkha corners. To obtain the service, one must pay the government-set fee. It is not necessary to register in order to give the samples. Surokkha corners will have the ability to collect and analyze 150 samples per day.
The service seeker will be notified within 30 minutes if the result of antigen testing on a sample is positive, indicating the presence of novel coronavirus. Within 3-4 hours, the results of a positive patient tested via antigen testing will be uploaded to the website.
The open space inside Section-3 of Block-E of Badda Eastern Housing (Aftabnagar), open space adjacent to Kaula Shiyaldanga, open space adjacent to Shahinagar housing (residential) project at Uttarkhan Moinertek, open space from Brindabon to the north of BGMEA in Uttara Sector-17, temporary cattle market in Bhatara (Sayeednagar), Rajdhani Agricultural Market, Rajdhani Agricultural Market,
“This is a truly praiseworthy initiative from BRAC at this crisis moment of the pandemic,” Mayor Atiqul Islam said at the inauguration event. We’re encouraging other organizations to come forward with initiatives as well, to the extent that they can.”
Currently, the majority of samples in Bangladesh are tested for Covid-19 using RT-PCR tests, which take at least 24 hours to complete. Because antigen tests can provide results in as little as 30 minutes, BRAC anticipates that this method will help the government’s Covid-19 testing operations move more quickly.
“The cattle markets set up for Eid-ul-Azha are among high-risk spots for Coronavirus transmission due to mass gatherings,” said Morseda Chowdhury, director of BRAC’s Health, Nutrition, and Population Programme (HNPP). In this effort to reduce vulnerability, BRAC has partnered with Dhaka North City Corporation. As part of our public awareness campaign, we are handing out masks. When people who have already contracted Covid-19 are identified through antigen testing, the overall risk of contracting the infection is reduced.”
BRAC’s walk-in kiosks have been collecting samples from suspected patients since March 11 last year, in response to the government’s call in the covid-19 prevention campaign, and 41 are currently operational. Since April 24, this year, BRAC has been offering antigen-based rapid testing through 16 booths in Dhaka and Chittagong.
