Test kits for the novel coronavirus were jointly donated toJapan by BGI and two partners, the Mammoth Foundation and the ShenzhenFoundation for International Exchange and Cooperation, both based in Shenzhen,China.
(Announcement from theChinese Embassy in Tokyo)
Wang Jian, Co-founder and Chairman of BGI, said on thecompany’s official Weibo account that the kits have already arrived in Japan. China,Japan and other countries share one future and have the same goal today – to beatthe disease, Mr. Wang said.
Action is as beautiful as poetry, he added, referring to thepoetry written in Chinese on the packages of medical supplies recently donatedby Japan to China, which were greeted by a huge surge of accolades over theChinese internet.
The donation of COVID-19 test kits was officially announcedby the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo on February 20.
As the Chinese Embassy spokesman said in the announcement, Chinaempathizes with what Japan is going through, and will continue to do what itcan to work closely with Japan to fight the disease.
Dr.Takaji Wakita, Director-General of the Japanese National Institute ofInfectious Diseases (NIID), receiving the kits from representatives of theChinese Embassy in Tokyo and the Mammoth Foundation, BGI’s partner in thedonation.
The kits were handed over to the National Institute of InfectiousDiseases (NIID) upon arrival, under the coordination of the Chinese Embassy inTokyo and the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
Around Japan, more than 80 people have tested positive forthe virus as of February 20, according to the World Health Organization, makingit one of the most severely affected countries after China. Internationalcollaboration and partnership to fight the outbreak are needed more than ever.
BGI completed the development of its qRT-PCR nucleic aciddetection kit for the novel coronavirus on January 14, and obtained theapproval of China’s NMPA (National Medical Products Administration) on January26. It is widely used clinically in China, providing a scientific basis fordiagnosis of confirmed cases and discharge of recovered patients. The kits havebeen internationally available and delivered to 26 countries and regions.
(BGI qRT-PCR Testing Kitsfor the Novel Coronavirus)