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 – represented by the BGI Genomics International Management Team – to the Department of Medical Sciences of the Ministry of Public Health to help 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, Mr. Jeremy Cao, the deputy general manager of BGI IntDx, donated the 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 dangerous infectious disease to infectious disease under surveillance, and various health care systems have been in place so that 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 and regions around the world.
Mr. Anutin, DPM and Minister of Public Health mentioned, “This lab can be packed and moved for rapid deployment. It can also cater to other post-pandemic needs, such as immunology lab and point of care testing. The Ministry of Public Health will make full use of it to benefit the population.”
About BGI Genomics
BGI Genomics, headquartered in Shenzhen China, has been investing in Thailand since 2004. As a leading global genomics research institution, BGI Genomics has continued to deepen cooperation with Thailand in many areas of life science.
