KEEP COVID SELF-TEST KITS AFFORDABLE, LEE LAM THYE TELLS GOVT

8 July 2021 KUALA LUMPUR: The proposed Covid self-test kits that will enable more people to be tested at a faster rate is commendable but the kits should be kept affordable, said Alliance for Safe Community President Lee Lam Thye. He said, since it is in everybody’s interest to get as many people as possible tested, the government should launch a scheme to distribute these kits free to the needy or at least subsidise the cost so that they become affordable. "How affordable will these kits be? If the costs are high, not many people who really need them will be able to afford them. "Many households are already finding it hard to afford daily necessities during these trying times, so they cannot afford to buy these kits," he said in a statement today. "As Malaysians care for each other, we must remember that this is not the time to profit from the sale of these self-test kits." Lee added that while the kits reduce the pressure on diagnostic laboratories as well as spare people a trip to a healthcare facility, it is also important to take heed of the advice of experts of the importance of follow-up tests to get more accurate readings. "There is no question that the greater numbers that are tested, the faster we can hope to contain the spread of Covid-19," he said. Lee also stressed that the public must be given an assurance that the National Vaccination Programme will proceed as planned, despite the current fluid political situation. Full vaccination is the best way to save lives and to ensure livelihood. Nothing must deter us from our efforts to return to normalcy as soon as possible," he asserted. "I would also like to congratulate YB Khairy Jamaluddin and his team for increasing the number of daily vaccinations in excess of 340,000. We must now aim for 400,000. That is a reasonable and achievable target."