Minister Of Transportation Require Train Passengers To Test For COVID-19 With GeNose, No Need For Antigen Again?

COVID-19 test kit, GeNOse. (Photo: Doc. UGM)

JAKARTA - The government is encouraging the use of a COVID-19 detection tool called GeNose in public transportation nodes such as train stations, airports, ports and terminals. Especially for trains, a health test using GeNose is mandatory.

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi explained this was in accordance with the direction of the Coordinating Minister for Marves, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, to encourage the use of GeNose tools on public transportation. Budi said that the Ministry of Transportation had coordinated with the Ministry of Health, Gadjah Mada University, and the COVID-19 Handling Task Force.

The Minister of Transportation said that its use will begin on February 5, 2021 at the train station first, then gradually later at the airport.

As is known, GeNose has received a distribution permit from the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes). The advantages of this tool include being able to detect it faster and at a relatively cheaper price with an accuracy of above 90 percent.

"The railroad mode will be implemented compulsorily (mandatory) on February 5, 2021," he said, through a press release quoted on Tuesday, January 26.

However, for land transportation modes such as buses, this rule has not been implemented. Even so, Budi said, his party would conduct random checks at the terminal.

"Meanwhile, bus transportation is not mandatory, but it will be checked randomly using GeNose starting February 5, 2021, which will start from Java first," he explained.

Budi Karya has also tested the use of the COVID-19 GeNose C19 detection tool at Kampung Rambutan Terminal, East Jakarta, on Sunday, January 24. This tool will later be used to detect COVID-19 for intercity and interprovincial (AKAP) public transport bus passengers.

This tool made by Gadjah Mada University (UGM) can be used in all public transportation facilities such as terminals, train stations, airports and ports.

Budi said, the implementation of the use of medical tests with GeNose aims to assist the government in carrying out the 4 T efforts (Tracking, Tracing, Testing and Treatment).

Reasons for mandatory GeNose test

Budi revealed the reason why the rail transportation mode was the first to check for COVID-19 using GeNose. This is because ticket prices on certain routes are cheaper than checking the COVID-19 test via Rapid Antigen or PCR Test.

Furthermore, Budi said that he had ordered 200 units for 44 station points throughout Java and Sumatra.

"Because the trains have a certain distance, say Jakarta-Bandung Rp. 100,000, if you have to antigen 100 thousand more, that's expensive, let alone cheaper bus fares, some only Rp. 40,000 to Rp. 50,000. But with GeNose This costs only Rp. 20,000 (one check). Especially if later on a large scale it can be cheaper to Rp. 15,000, so it's more affordable, "he said.

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Budi admitted that he had asked the Director General of Land Transportation to coordinate with Kadishub throughout Indonesia. If later it is time for a random check (random) and someone is tested positive then the person concerned is not allowed to leave.

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi. (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

The Minister of Transportation appealed to the public who will travel using bus transportation not to force themselves to leave if they feel unwell or sick, because the bus terminals are checked randomly.

Medical test price using GeNose

Chairman of the GeNose Development Team Prof. Kuwat Triyana explained that officially he had obtained a distribution permit from the Indonesian Ministry of Health AKD 20401022883 to start getting recognition from regulators in helping to handle COVID-19 in rapid screening.

He hopes that the distribution of this tool can be done at airports, train stations, crowded places, including hospitals. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) can also mobile approach suspected COVID-19 with this tool.

"But this year, it is not possible to procure GeNose C19 for personal use," he said in a written statement, Monday, January 25.

The team hopes that if there are 1,000 units in the future it will be able to test as many as 120 thousand people a day. If there are 10 thousand units according to the target by the end of February, then Indonesia will be able to show the highest number of COVID-19 tests per day in the world, namely 1.2 million people per day.

Kuwat said it was hoped that with that much test ability could find people infected with COVID-19 without symptoms (OTG) and immediately take isolation or treatment measures so that the chain of spread could be immediately cut.

Meanwhile, Kuwat said, the cost for one COVID-19 health test with GeNose is only around IDR 15 thousand to IDR 25 thousand. The test results are also very fast about 2 minutes and do not require reagents or other chemicals. In addition, taking a test sample in the form of a breath is also more comfortable than a swab or swab.

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