The Philippines will be among the countries that will take part in the training course in the nuclear-derived detection techniques as part of the assistance in tackling the worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will also provide diagnostic kits and equipment, Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi announced.
In a news released by the Emirates News Agency (WAM), it said that the assistance was requested by 14 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
The training will take place at the joint IAEA/Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO, Animal Production and Health Laboratory in Seibersdorf, Austria, for two weeks.
During this period, the diagnostic technique, known as “Real-Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR)”, will be introduced. This can help detect and identify the novel coronavirus accurately within hours in humans, as well as in animals that may host it.
Medical and veterinary experts from the Philippines will take part in it including countries like Cambodia, Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.
There will also be additional courses for countries, including Latin America and the Caribbean.
Mr. Grossi, in a statement to the IAEA Board of Governors, said contributing to international efforts to deal with the coronavirus will remain a priority for as long as the outbreak persists.
