Our school is responsible for the health of our 2,400 students whose families visit every weekBanyumas, C Java (ANTARA) - The At Taujieh Al Islamic Islamic boarding school in Leler Hamlet, Randegan Village, Kebasen Sub-district, Banyumas District, Central Java, is using a set of GeNose C-19 to detect the transmission of COVID-19 among its students.
"Our school is responsible for the health of our 2,400 students whose families visit every week," the school’s principal, KH Zuhrul Anam Hisyam, stated.
Hisyam emphasized here on Monday that this COVID-19 breathalyzer can help to detect the spread of COVID-19 earlier.
After venturing outdoors, all students should firstly be screened with this COVID-19 testing tool before being allowed to return to the school's dormitory, he noted.
The GeNose C-19 that can detect "volatile organic compounds through the human breath" has been developed by Indonesian scientists from the University of Gadjah Mada (UGM).
According to UGM's official website, the soft launch of the COVID-19 breathalyzer was conducted at the Tugu Train Station in Yogyakarta on February 3, 2021.
The testing tool was also deployed to screen passengers departing from Jakarta's Pasar Senen Station.
The Indonesian government, however, disclosed earlier that the GeNose would not serve as a substitute for the polymerase chain reaction test that involves taking a swab from the person’s nasopharyngeal region.
The breathalyzer has been deployed to screen train passengers for COVID-19 since February 5, 2021.
Indonesia has been striving to win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic since the government officially announced the country's first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020.
The government has rolled out a nationwide vaccination program this year to contain the spread of infections.
The Health Ministry has pegged the vaccination of some 181.5 million people under the national program to take 15 months.
Indonesia's COVID-19 infection rate surpassed one million cases on January 26, 2021.
To achieve herd immunity and free the nation from the clutches of the pandemic, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has pressed for successfully administering the COVID-19 vaccine to the targeted population.
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease has dragged Indonesia into serious public health and economic crises.
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EDITED BY INE
Translator: Sumarwoto, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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