KATHMANDU: As the world is grappling with the coronavirus pandemic and health systems of countries around the world strained dealing with virus cases, South Korean manufacturers have developed COVID-19 self-testing kits.

Developed by South Korean biotech firms SD Biosensor and Humasis, the self-testing kits will help individuals test for COVID-19 on their own, aiding the government’s testing measures, according to media reports.

South Korea gave conditional approval to the self-testing kits on April 23, 2021, according to Reuters news agency. The kit went on sale across South Korea on April 30, according to Korea Herald. The kits are widely available in local pharmacies across South Korea.

Users can collect samples from their noses on their own for testing, and the results come out within 15-30 minutes, writes en.yna.co.kr.

If users receive a positive result from the self-test, they are required to visit screening stations to undergo preemptive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to get a more accurate result.

The kit has largely eased the burden of the South Korean authorities to tests its citizens for coronavirus infection as the country encounters surging virus cases.

Currently, self-kits are used in several European countries where the governments have granted an emergency use approval for them, according to aa.com.tr.