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Coronavirus pandemic

Production of world’s first portable coronavirus test to begin in April

According to the investor, the test systems are portable mini-laboratories that look like small suitcases that could be used anywhere

© EPA-EFE/SHEPHERD ZHOU

MOSCOW, March 17. /TASS/. The world’s first portable coronavirus test system is slated for production in April, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his meeting with the Cabinet Tuesday.

"The Russian Direct Investment Fund will finance the joint research with our Japanese partners, so that we can begin production of the express tests in April already. Potentially, it would be the world’s first portable [coronavirus] express test," Putin underscored.

According to Putin, Russia pays the necessary attention to the task of massively beefing up coronavirus test system production; specialists from various facilities work on it.

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Work on the coronavirus vaccine is also underway, Putin said, adding that consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor specialists work on it, in cooperation with St. Petersburg Institute of Vaccines and Serums of the Federal Medical Biological Agency.

"Russia has all the necessary competence in this field, including a scientific base to solve this task in the nearest future. Previous experience indicates that our specialists are capable of solving tasks of this kind and scale," Putin concluded, referring to the test systems and the vaccine.

Earlier, Russian Direct Investment Fund reported that the coronavirus express test technology had been developed jointly by Russian and Japanese companies and scientists. The new system would allow mass swift testing beyond laboratories, providing a highly precise result in just 30 minutes. The Fund noted that these test systems are portable mini-laboratories that look like small suitcases that could be used anywhere.

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