Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has congratulated the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Incas Diagnostics for their breakthrough in developing a Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) for COVID-19.

In a tweet, Dr Bawumia said:"Uniquely, this KNUST RDT is able to detect asymptomatic cases and takes up to 15-20 minutes to produce results.

"So proud of our Ghanaian students for this breakthrough".

Congratulations to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Incas Diagnostics for developing a Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) for COVID-19. This RDT produces results in 15-20 minutes.

So proud of our Ghanaian Scientists for this breakthrough. pic.twitter.com/VJ4mR1E1Ip

— Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia (@MBawumia) April 28, 2020

It is expected that the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) would critically examine the medical device and approve it for mass testing for COVID-19 soon.

This is to enhance surveillance testing for COVID-19 towards ending the respiratory disease in the country. The innovation comes when the same institution recently announced that it has produced a ventilator.

The College of Engineering of KNUST also held a demonstration exercise to explain the working operation of the home-made prototype ventilator. The medical equipment, which is in the advanced stages of development, is a collaborative work between the College’s Computer Engineering Department and Michigan Technological University.

Ghana's confirmed cases for COVID-19 is 1,671 as of Tuesday, April 28, with 188 recoveries and 16 deaths.