Angola signs contract of using Chinese Huoyan laboratory in combating COVID-19

Officials from Angola and China attend an online contract signing ceremony in Luanda, Angola, on July 16, 2020. Angolan government and China Shenzhen BGI group held the online contract signing ceremony on Thursday to boost its COVID-19 detection capacity. Angola will entrust BGI with the construction of five Huoyan, or Fire Eye, laboratories for the detection of novel coronavirus across the country, with a total daily detection capacity of 6,000 samples. (BGI Group/Handout via Xinhua)

LUANDA, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Angolan government and China Shenzhen BGI group held an online contract signing ceremony on Thursday to boost its COVID-19 detection capacity.

Angola will entrust BGI with the construction of five Huoyan, or Fire Eye, laboratories for the detection of novel coronavirus across the country, with a total daily detection capacity of 6,000 samples.

Angola's Foreign Minister Tete Antonio said at the event that the agreement signed will not only bring Angola to the necessary virus detection capacity, but will also give Angolan cadres the opportunity to learn advanced technology.

Angola's Minister of Health Silvia Lutucuta said she thanks China for providing assistance in fighting the epidemic, adding that Angola and other countries in the world have learned a lot from China's experience in fighting the epidemic.

"Detection capacity is the basis for the formulation of prevention and control policies, and Angola needs to continue to improve large-scale detection capabilities. Angola decided to entrust the Chinese company BGI with the construction of 5 laboratories, which will create a new period of opportunity to prevent and control the epidemic." She said.

According to Yang Huanming, co-founder of the BGI group and chairman of the BGI Board Gene, the BGI Huoyan laboratory has played an important role in the practice of anti-epidemic diseases in China and around the world and has proven to be very effective.

"More than 20 countries and regions have started or are in negotiations with more than 70 Huoyan laboratories, with the total daily test volume expected to exceed 300,000 tests. Brunei, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia, the Philippines, Gabon and other countries have been put in place," He said.

Yang added that Huoyan laboratory made by BGI is equipped with automated equipment for the extraction of high-performance nucleic acids to improve the efficiency of large-scale detection. Currently, MGI automation equipment has also been shipped to more than 30 countries and regions around the world.

Under the cooperation agreement, BGI will build five new laboratories in Angola, including a greenhouse laboratory, with a total result of 6,000 samples per day, which will be in a relatively short period for the country's national testing capacity to be increased for 10 times.