THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
November 9, 2021 at 18:30 JST
The health ministry building in Tokyo (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
COVID-19 antigen rapid test kits that the government provided to medical institutions are being recalled by the Tokyo-based manufacturer on a voluntary basis, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced Nov. 8.
Denka Co., which is headquartered in Chuo Ward, said a material fault found in some kits meant that more people not infected with COVID-19 could be given a false positive result. No serious case of ill-health due to use of the kit has been reported.
The name of the kit is “QuickNavi - COVID19 Ag.”
Denka shipped 1.3 million of them last December. They were manufactured at a Denka factory in Gosen, Niigata Prefecture, and the suspect lot numbers start from 0750121 and end with 0850121.
The government provided 1.2 million kits to medical institutions and care homes for the elderly in August and September to detect COVID-19 infection more quickly than a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.
The fault was detected after some of the facilities which had used the kit reported that it was likely to return a false positive result.
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