COVID-19 Comes to Isolated Pacific Island of
Tonga And Cases Soar After Volcanic Eruption and
Tsunami
EMERYVILLE, Calif., March 31,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lucira Health, Inc.
("Lucira Health" or "Lucira") (Nasdaq: LHDX), a medical technology
company focused on the development and commercialization of
transformative and innovative infectious disease tests, donated
2,000 Lucira™ Check-It COVID-19 tests, a rapid
at-home test with PCR-quality accuracy, for Tonga humanitarian efforts after the eruption
of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano in January 2022. The Tonga Red Cross Society was
immediately on the scene of the disaster providing relief to local
communities, as the tsunami reportedly caused waves as high as 49
feet on the low elevation islands.
Lucira Donates Rapid Molecular At-Home
COVID-19 Test Kits to Protect the Safety of Tonga Red Cross Society
Workers
In February 2022, only two cases
of COVID-19 were detected in the capital city of Nuku'alofa located in the South Pacific Ocean,
but the island nation subsequently went into lockdown. Cases soared
and as of March 17, 2022, over 2,530
cases were reported. Lucira coordinated with the Tongan
government's Ministry of Health and Air New Zealand to donate and
deliver Lucira Check-It COVID-19 test kits to protect the health
and safety of the staff and volunteers of the Tonga Red Cross
Society, who supplied immediate support to affected communities. It
is imperative that staff and volunteers test negative on a Nucleic
Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) for COVID-19 before interacting with
and aiding local citizens.
"We worked quickly to coordinate with Tonga's Ministry of Health and the Red Cross
Society's Secretary General Sione
Taumoefolau to supply our test kits for use by staff and
volunteers of the Red Cross Society both before and after their
on-site visits to at-risk people on the islands. Health Coordinator
Villami Mahe trained everyone on how to conduct our fast,
easy-to-use Check-It tests in a few minutes, with results available
in 30 minutes. We were pleased that we could provide help to
Tonga during this emergency," said
Erik Engelson, Lucira Health's
President and Chief Executive Officer.
About the Lucira Check-It Test
The Lucira Check-It test is a Nucleic-Acid Amplification Test
(referred to as NAAT). The test fits in the palm of your hand,
extracts genetic material from the virus and amplifies it, similar
to PCR lab tests, to detect the presence of virus earlier and more
accurately than antigen tests. The test uses an approach called
reverse transcriptase loop-mediated isothermal amplification
(RT-LAMP). It was designed and tested for individuals to use
independently and does not require a physician's prescription or
supervised assistance.
There is no additional equipment to purchase, such as a reader
or instrument. Each Lucira Check-It test contains everything needed
to run a single COVID-19 test. Users get the test device, two AA
batteries, sample vial, swab, and simple instructions.
About Lucira Health
Lucira is a medical technology company focused on the
development and commercialization of transformative and innovative
infectious disease tests. Lucira's testing platform produces lab
quality molecular testing in a single-use, consumer-friendly,
palm-size test kit powered by two AA batteries. Lucira designed its
test kits to provide accurate, reliable, and on-the-spot molecular
test results anywhere and at any time.
Lucira tests are used by leading businesses and healthcare
organizations like Salesforce, Amazon, Air Canada, Cleveland
Clinic, Sutter Health and many more. Beyond its COVID-19 tests,
Lucira is working on new diagnostic tests including a single test
for COVID-19 & Flu as well as other infectious diseases. For
more information, visit www.lucirahealth.com.
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SOURCE Lucira Health