Posco International donates 100 virus test kits to Myanmar

Published : Apr 19, 2020 - 17:28 Updated : Apr 19, 2020 - 17:28

Zaw Than Htun, director general of Myanmar’s Medical Research Center (right), Lee Sang-hwa, South Korea’s ambassador to Myanmar (center), and Lee Sang-hoon, the regional managing director of Posco International, pose in Myanmar on Saturday. (Posco International)

Posco International said Sunday it has sent 100 virus test kits that can run 10,000 tests to Myanmar, as part of its relief efforts for the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the company, it has successfully delivered the test kits developed by Korean firm BioSewoom to Myanmar’s Ministry of Health and Sports.

The cost of 170 million won ($140,000) was shared by Posco International and its consortium partner companies -- Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, Oil and Natural Gas Corp., Gas Authority of India and Korea Gas Corp.

BioSewoom, a small startup here is one of the five Korean companies that received emergency approval from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is a partner company for Posco International’s cooperation scheme with small and medium-sized companies, Posco International said.

“In this desperate times, the test kits for 10,000 tests come as a great help,” a government official from Myanmar said.

As of Sunday afternoon, Myanmar has 107 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and five resulting deaths.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)