MyEG to introduce at-home saliva-based Covid-19 test in the Philippines, aims to bring test to Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 4): My EG Services Bhd (MyEG) announced today that it will introduce an at-home saliva-based Covid-19 testing service in the Philippines this month to help the country's fight against the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

In a bourse filing, the company called the Covid-19 test a safe, fast, convenient and non-invasive method that can greatly enhance accurate detection and subsequent early intervention.

"As the exclusive distributor of the kit, MyEG will be making the service — the first of its kind in the Philippines market — available through its joint venture I-Pay MYEG Philippines Inc, in collaboration with IP Biotech, Inc, a licensed importer of vaccines, and medical devices in the Philippines, and Family Vaccine and Specialty Clinics, Inc, one of the largest chains of vaccination clinics in the country that delivers quality healthcare services to Filipinos," said MyEG.

It said the diagnostic kit enables on-site collection of saliva samples at home or at workplace by licensed medical professionals. The samples will then be sent to partner laboratories for processing, with test results delivered within one to two working days.

According to MyEG, the saliva-based kit — which has received the approval of the Food and Drug Administration of the Philippines and has also been approved in Singapore and Indonesia — can also detect the new strains of Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) that have been reported in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil.

"Meanwhile, similar kits have also been granted emergency use authorisation from the Food and Drug Administration in the United States, where the likes of retail giant Costco are pioneering the use of such at-home, mail-in Covid-19 tests.

"MyEG is introducing this game-changing approach, which is more efficient and far less invasive than conventional methods without compromising on accuracy, to enable more people to be tested, thus providing a timely and much-needed boost in the fight against the spread of Covid-19 that has seen available healthcare resources worldwide being increasingly stretched to their limits," it added.

This new approach will not only make Covid-19 testing much more accessible, but will also ensure better protection for people and front line healthcare providers by reducing the need for close contacts since samples can be collected at home or workplace, the group noted.

Apart from the Philippines, MyEG also plans to deploy a similar approach to testing in Malaysia, pending approval from the relevant regulators for the use of the test kit.

"Making such a hassle-free approach to testing available to the Malaysian public would be very much in line with the convenient, doorstep delivery of a myriad government and ancillary services that MyEG is already known for. Furthermore, this effort can help ease the pressure on the country's front line workers who have been working tirelessly in the past year," it said.

In the wake of the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus, the group said it has leveraged its strengths and expertise as a leading digital services provider in the region to embark on a number of significant initiatives, guided by an overarching vision to provide a holistic solution to help in the fight against Covid-19.

"These initiatives include, among others, a cooperation with Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical Co, Ltd to conduct Phase 3 trials, obtain Halal certification and distribute Chinese company's vaccine in Malaysia, the provision of MySafeTravel, a digital health pass system to facilitate inbound travellers' adherence to mandatory Covid-19 testing and quarantine requirements as well as the provision of a one-stop portal for the screening of workers in the country," it added.

At the noon break, shares of MyEG were eight sen or 4.32% higher at RM1.93, with some 9.95 million shares done. This values the group at RM7.09 billion.

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