Turkish firm's mobile COVID-19 test lab draws attention

By Ugur Aslanhan

ISTANBUL (AA) - A Turkish technology firm's mobile lab, developed for COVID-19 tests with the support of Turkey's Scientific and Technological Research Council, attracts domestic and international attention.

HTL Teknoloji's mobile lab, which has a Level 3 biosafety standard of the World Health Organization, helps people test for the disease in all locations, according to a press release on Monday.

It can be transferred by a truck or similar vehicles, enabling for both anti-body and PCR tests.

The mobile lab can give results of a COVID-19 test in 45 minutes. It also has a cost advantage compared to its rivals in the EU and US.

The firm is in contact with some organizations in Turkey which are interested in the lab, as well as with several countries, including the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Iraq, Iran, and Azerbaijan, according to Naci Sivri, the head of the firm.

Sivri also said: "In addition to contributing to the fight against the virus, we aim to provide an added value to our country, especially through our work in the field of health."

The firm has also developed an UltraViolet sterilization device against the novel coronavirus.

The pandemic, which appeared initially in China in December 2019, has infected around 77 million people worldwide, and killed nearly 1.7 million patients so far.

*Writing by Gokhan Ergocun