April 22, 2020

HSP Partner Dr. Diah Iskandriati Transitions Primate Lab To Conduct COVID-19 Testing In Indonesia

HSP Partner Dr. Diah Iskandriati has enabled the Primate Research Center lab at the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) in Indonesia to conduct COVID-19 testing. The lab is the first and currently the only testing site in Bogor, a city of 1.1 million people. Prior to the testing at this facility, specimens had to be sent all the way to Jakarta or Bandung to be processed. This lab is also the first veterinary lab in Indonesia to offer COVID-19 testing, with kits and standard diagnostic protocol provided by the Indonesian Ministry of Health. In order to achieve the levels of testing required to control the pandemic, all labs with the relevant capacity need to support testing, using a One Health, multi-sectoral approach. Here is the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) Guidance for Veterinary Laboratory Support to the Public Health Response for COVID-19.