On September 19, 2022, Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health, Dr. Satit Pitutecha, Deputy Minister of Public Health, Dr. Supakit Sirilak, Director General of the Department of Medical Sciences and other leaders received a Huo-Yan Air Laboratory (with three cabins) donation from the Mammoth Foundation - which is sponsored by BGI - to the Department of Medical Sciences of the Ministry of Public Health to lend a hand to Thailand in battling against COVID-19 and other epidemic diseases that threaten public health.
This laboratory was developed by BGI Genomics Co., Ltd. Mr. Zhiqiang Han, the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in the Kingdom of Thailand and other staff of the Embassy, and Mr. Jeremy Cao, the deputy general manager of BGI IntDx, donated this laboratory to these senior Ministry representatives.
On behalf of the Royal Thai Government and the Ministry of Public Health, Deputy Prime Minister Anutin expressed appreciation to the Mammoth Foundation and the Chinese government. China and Thailand share a close friendship and are committed to jointly combating COVID-19.
With effect from October 1, 2022, the Thai Ministry of Public Health has lowered the level of COVID-19 from a dangerous infectious disease to infectious disease under surveillance, and various health care systems have been in place so that the Thai people can resume their normal lives and accelerate economic recovery.
The Deputy Prime Minister said that the Huo-Yan Air Laboratory is a complete, high-throughput nucleic acid testing platform developed by BGI Genomics in response to COVID-19. It is a mobile laboratory equipped with medical waste management system, real-time PCR detection equipment, nucleic acid detection equipment, etc. This mobile laboratory can be ready in only 24 hours. A functioning integrated electrical system and ventilation system can analyze more than 5,000 samples every day, which serve the purpose of targeted screening and rapid deployment. Currently, 102 Huo-Yan Air Laboratories have been built in 38 countries around the world.
Mr. Anutin mentioned, "This laboratory will play a huge role because it can be packed and moved for installation quickly. This flexible technology can reduce the cost and time for the establishment of a new laboratory. It can be adjusted according to operational needs and applied to other post-pandemic needs, such as biochemical laboratory, immunology laboratory, point of care testing (POCT). The Ministry of Public Health will make full use of it to benefit the population."