Saudi Arabia inks SAR 995 mln deal with China to conduct 9 mln COVID-19 tests

Saudi Arabia signed an agreement worth SAR 995 million with China to conduct 9 million COVID-19 tests in the Kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Sunday.

Under the deal, equipment and materials will be supplied to conduct the required tests. As many as 500 specialized Chinese experts and technicians will train Saudi medics and cadres.

Moreover, six mega labs will also be set up across the Kingdom’s various provinces, with a mobile lab to test 10,000 people daily.

The deal, which is one of the largest agreements for COVID-19 diagnosis and detection, was signed by Saudi-based Nupco and China’s BGI Group, in line with the directives of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The COVID-19 Follow-up Committee approved to purchase testing kits from the US, Switzerland and South Korea, bringing up the total tests to 14.5 million people, or 40% of the Kingdom’s residents.