The World Health Organization (WHO) has donated a gene sequence machine to the Maldives. The machine was symbolically received by Health Minister Ahmed Naseem at a ceremony held on Wednesday.
A DNA sequencer is a scientific instrument used to automate the DNA sequencing process. It can be used to detect the different variants of the COVID-19 virus. According to WHO, the machine can identify the rate of spread of diseases like influenza, measles, etc.
Different variants of COVID-19 have been detected in the Maldives. While the Maldives did not have the capacity to test samples to identify its variant, samples were sent aboard for testing in the past.
The Health Ministry said WHO's donation would minimize the time spent in identifying the variant of any given samples, and the cost of sending the samples abroad would be cut.
