The United Nations Development Programme (UNPD) and the European Union announced on Monday the procurement of state-of-the-art laboratory equipment for the diagnosis and surveillance of COVID-19 in the Turkish Cypriot community, under a project funded by the European Union (EU) as part of the EU-funded Local Infrastructure Project (LIF). As stated, this significant investment of pound 300,000 will bolster the current capacity, improve the quality of diagnostic services and enhance preparedness, and among the necessary equipment procured is a next-generation sequencing instrument, which was not previously available to the Turkish Cypriot community. It is added that this innovative addition will significantly enhance the detection and confirmation of any COVID-19 virus mutations, ensuring accurate and timely responses to emerging variants. The press release also includes statements by Kjartan Björnsson, Deputy Director and Head of Unit for Cyprus Settlement Support at the Directorate-General Reform of the European Commission, highlighted that this comprehensive suite of equipment will bolster the diagnostic capabilities of healthcare professionals while enabling them to provide accurate and timely assessments. "'The funding is important for further enhancing the diagnostics capabilities of healthcare professionals in the Turkish Cypriot community, making sure that the island gets ready in every aspect towards the ultimate goal of reunification", said Björnsson. For his part, UNDP Cyprus Office Head, Jakhongir Khaydarov, was quoted as saying that he was proud of UNDP's contribution to improving the diagnostics and surveillance capacities of COVID-19 in the Turkish Cypriot community, adding that the acquisition of advanced laboratory equipment, including the Next Generation Sequencing instrument, signifies a significant step in our collective efforts to combat the virus and protect public health. According to the press release, this critical funding enabled the acquisition of state-of-the-art laboratory equipment, including a QIAstat-Dx analyzer, as well as 60 QIAstat-Dx Respiratory SARS-CoV-2 Panels, 17 QIAstat-Dx Meningitis/Encephalitis Panels, 9 QIAstat-Dx Viral Vesicular Panels, 1 Bugbox anaerobic workstation, 1 Eppendorf Research® plus pipettes, 1 Pipette carousel, 1 A9 Plus Air purifier, Milli-Q Direct 16 plus 60 LITER PE RESERVOIR, 1 MiSeq System, 30 MiSeq Reagent Kit v3 (600-cycle), 1 COVIDSeq Positive Control, and 15 Illumina COVIDSeq v4 Primer Pools. Furthermore upcoming EU funding of EUR 1.6 million will be allocated towards refurbishing the microbiology laboratory and the paediatric intensive care unit, ensuring that these vital healthcare facilities meet the highest standards and are equipped to provide optimal care for patients, the release concludes.
Source: Cyprus News Agency