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She developed a simpler test than other facilities use, and is offering this method of performing the coronavirus test to diagnostic laboratories. And it’s free.
“Given that diagnostic institutions from the Czech Republic, Europe and the U.S. have been turning to us with a request to develop a more practical and more accessible test for the quantitative detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, since the originally designed test is unnecessarily complicated for routine testing of a large number of samples, we have diligently worked on this assignment despite everything going on around us,” Soňa Peková says of her offer.
But she still isn’t allowed to test
“Thanks to the fact that we have authentic SARS-
CoV-2 isolates and also important sequences that are entirely unique to this virus, we developed and validated an alternative test.
These data and all procedural details are available from us to diagnostic laboratories for free. We are happy to provide them without any claim to financial compensation,” she adds, noting that anonymous applicants will not be given the information; laboratories must properly identify themselves.
“I believe that by making effective tools for monitoring the epidemiological situation available, we will ultimately manage the Covid-19 pandemic well,” Peková adds.
A lab from America has already contacted us; we’ve already sent it there.
The biologist, about whom the health minister initially claimed she was in quarantine due to an unprofessional collection of a sample from a positively tested patient — for which he later apologized — came up with a simpler test that laboratories in Europe and the United States will now use.
However, in the Czech Republic her laboratory still isn’t allowed to continue testing.
“A laboratory from the United States has already contacted us; we’ve already sent it there. It’s open, as I tell everyone. But I think Czech laboratories probably won’t even inquire,” Peková said.
“They say I’m Janoušek’s girl”
Asked why Czech facilities don’t request the simpler test, she says there are several possible answers.
“One of them is that they reproach me for supposedly being Janoušek’s (lobbyist Roman Janoušek) girl. That’s absolutely ridiculous — I’ve never even seen that gentleman. But I’m very proud of the Chambon laboratory, into which Mr. Janoušek invested. We did great work. Then, when he ran that woman over with his car, it wiped out everything. Unfortunately, also that laboratory,” Peková says openly.
We still haven’t received any answer from Deputy Minister Roman Prymula as to whether we may or may not test
“I’m an apolitical person; even if someone had told me back then that he finances us, I wouldn’t know who that is. But this has been attached to me since 2009. So I don’t know whether this could bother anyone,” the doctor reflects.
She herself still hopes that she will be able to comply with requests after all and that her laboratory will be testing applicants for coronavirus.
“We still haven’t received any answer from Deputy Minister Roman Prymula as to whether we may or may not test. Until then we are not testing. But as soon as — that is, if — they allow us, we are ready and that refusing red notice will immediately disappear from our website,” promises Soňa Peková.
