Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has assured the public that the standards and quality controls implemented by our molecular laboratory are of the highest standard.

The Prime Minister said it has been verified by the World Health Organization and our Reference Laboratories in Australia.

“I am informed there are some anxieties expressed in social media platforms in relation to the quality of testing at our Molecular Laboratory,” he said.

Prime Minister Sogavare said the fluctuating results stated on the social media platform is not uncommon with the COVID-19 virus.

The Prime Minister said the most important thing is for us to be continually vigilant and to make sure we only release people who had been positive after they fulfil the three-negative test requirement.

Prime Minister Sogavare said the outstanding work by our Molecular Laboratory staff is one of the reasons why Solomon Islands is still free from Community transmission.

“The proof of the quality of their work is the absence of community transmission of COVID-19. To date almost 9,000 tests had been conducted by the Molecular lab,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said he has instructed his staff and the Ministry of health to establish the source of the wrong information that is circulating in the media.

“Circulation or publishing of wrong or inaccurate information is an offence during the period of the State of Public Emergency,” he said.

Source: Press Release, OPMC