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- Latvia has introduced the world’s first vending machine for coronavirus tests.
- 100 more will be rolled out across the country, according to Reuters.
- Results from the tests are available within 24 hours.
- The vending machines remove the need for between two to five medical workers.
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A vending machine that issues COVID-19 tests and stores the samples has been installed outside a hospital in Riga.
It’s the first of its kind in the world and the first of 100 to be rolled out in Latvia, according to Reuters.
The machine at the Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital in Riga dispenses PRC swab tests.
PRC tests involve taking a swab of the throat and nose and testing for the genetic code (RNA) of the virus. The majority of tests performed globally use this method.
Once the tests have been retrieved from the vending machine and placed back for storage, a technician collects the tests at the end of the day,
Results then become available after 24 hours, Didzis Gavars of the E. Gulbja Laboratory told Reuters.
He added: "The device removes the need for two to five medical workers to administer the tests, and it removes any risk of infection."
Before introducing this vending machine, Latvia had vending machines for disposable face masks in railway stations.
In recent weeks, the need for testing in the Baltic state has risen as there has been a sharp rise in the number of coronavirus cases.
The country currently reports 23,706 cases. The death toll stands at 319 deaths.
The Latvian government has announced the extension of a 'state of emergency' to January 11, 2021.