6 BNPB Staff Positive For COVID-19 Based On Rapid Test

JAKARTA - All staff of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) underwent a COVID-19 rapid test. As a result, there were 6 people who indicated positive for the corona virus based on rapid tests with these antibody tests.

Head of the Center for Data Information and Public Relations of BNPB Agus Wibowo stated that 6 BNPB staff who tested positive from the rapid test immediately underwent a saliva specimen test (swab) on the same day.

"As many as 6 people were immediately taken to Tarakan Hospital for a swab test. Then, they returned to their respective homes for independent isolation while waiting for the results of the swab," said Agus to VOI, Thursday, April 30.

BNPB staff work at Graha BNPB which is located on Jalan Pramuka, East Jakarta. This place is a daily press conference for the development of COVID-19 by the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19.

Agus said, the results of the process of examining the antigen of saliva specimens using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method will come out in the next 3 to 5 days.

When someone is tested positive based on the PCR test, they will be quarantined at the Kemayoran Athlete Hospital emergency or self-isolation at home in order to break the chain of transmission.

Then, the puskesmas in each of the staff's domiciles will carry out surveillance and contact tracing of the 6 people who tested positive based on the rapid test. This is an early detection to check the risk of transmission from a person who has been infected with the virus.

However, Agus emphasized, 6 BNPB staff had not been officially declared as COVID-19 sufferers only from the results of the rapid test. This is because this rapid test is admittedly inaccurate in detecting COVID-19.

"The positive is not necessarily positive for COVID-19, we still have to wait for the results of the swab (for positive or negative results," he said.

The rapid test examination of all BNPB staff is still ongoing today. Agus admitted, after there were 6 positive people based on the rapid test, the health protocol in the BNPB office was improved.

"Health protocols such as maintaining distance and washing hands are still being implemented as published. Now, it will be carried out more stringently and discipline," he added.