A health worker conducts COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test.File photo:Xinhua

Chinese test kit suppliers, which have been the major contributor to anti-pandemic products in the world, are now working in full swing to supply much-needed antigen detection products to meet booming demand in the domestic market amid COVID-19 outbreaks in many places across China. 

The antigen detection market has seen jumping orders, with some suppliers having extended their order booking period to over 10 days while planning for production upgrades, after Chinese authorities allowed antigen self-test kits for public use as a dynamic adjustment of the epidemic prevention measures amid the biggest infection surge in two years. So far, 13 domestic companies have been put on the approval list.

A sales manager with a domestic antigen test supplier on the approved list told the Global Times on Thursday that production capacity is very tight, and that a previous order involving a batch of test kits for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is still pending.

"It takes at least ten days to book orders in advance," the manager said, adding that they are working in full swing to produce the test kits in hopes they can be delivered at the earliest opportunity.

In response to the booming demand, BGI Group is ramping up efforts to ensure an adequate supply of test kits, while adjusting the production plan in accordance with market demand, the company told the Global Times on Thursday.

A person with Wuhan Easy Diagnosis said that it is currently going all out to produce, with sufficient production capacity, and it is confident about meeting both domestic and overseas demand.

Domestic demand has been surging rapidly. Amid tight supplies, several online pharmaceutical stores on Taobao told the Global Times that they have set purchase limits at around two test kits per account. One online store said that test kits were sold out in few hours after being put on the shelf.

A few days after the test kit was available for sale on Taobao, the first batch of antigen test products also went on sale on JD.com on Thursday.

In order to make sure that production and supply run smoothly, officials with the Department of Consumer Products Industry at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology inspected several Beijing-based antigen test companies on Thursday. 

Companies also pledged to upgrade production capacity to meet the needs of epidemic control.

Last week, the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council, the cabinet, issued a notice, deciding for the first time to add antigen detection as a supplement on the basis of a nucleic acid test. People who have self-testing demand can access antigen test products via online stores and other channels, according to the notice.

Even though the supply situation for the new test kits is running tight at the moment, Chen Hongyan, secretary-general of the Medical Appliances Branch of the China Medical Pharmaceutical Material Association, said on Thursday that China's production capacity for test kits is adequate for both home and abroad.

"The demand will soon be reduced after the recent flare-ups end," Chen added.

The antigen test effectively reduces the potential risks for cross-infection, especially when crowds are taking nucleic acid tests in a designated place, while saving the extra costs of time and labor, Chen said.

Although antigen tests are a good supplement to virus testing, they can only be used for primary screening, and the nucleic acid test still serves as the decisive means for further diagnosis, the expert further noted.