New ART kits to cost well below $10, says Ong Ye Kung

New, more affordable antigen rapid test (ART) kits for Covid-19 will be made available soon, with the kits expected to cost "well below" $10 and possibly below $5, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung.

He also said yesterday at the press conference by the multi-ministry task force tackling Covid-19 that distribution of free ART kits to all Singapore households has been progressing well.

The Straits Times reported on Oct 9 that each household would receive 10 ART kits in a distribution exercise from Oct 22 to next month.

Previously, six ART kits were distributed to each household in an exercise from Aug 28 to Sept 27.

Nonetheless, Mr Ong acknowledged that many people still need to purchase additional kits and have been asking for more affordable kits to be supplied.

"(The Ministry of Health) has recognised this and has been working with the HSA (Health Sciences Authority) to introduce more good-quality and affordable ART self-test kits in Singapore," he said.

One new self-test kit that has been authorised is called Flowflex. It was approved last week under the Pandemic Special Access Route (PSAR) for self-test use, said Mr Ong, a co-chair of the task force.

No date was given for when Flowflex would be available for purchase. Produced by American company Acon Laboratories, it is already available over the counter in the United States and Britain.

Two other ART kits that have met quality standards have been approved to undergo PSAR registration.

The Health Ministry said in a statement yesterday that the three kits would be priced significantly below the current prices of ART kits here.

Mr Ong also expressed hope that the kits would cost below $5 each, but said the pricing of kits remains a commercial decision.