• About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Sun, Jan 24, 2021
Zim Trending
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Breaking NewsHot
  • Entertainment
  • Business
  • Education
  • JobsLatest
  • Scholarships
  • Crime
  • Celebs
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Breaking NewsHot
  • Entertainment
  • Business
  • Education
  • JobsLatest
  • Scholarships
  • Crime
  • Celebs
No Result
View All Result
Zim Trending
No Result
View All Result

Zimbabwe Expecting More Coronavirus Testing Kits From Abroad

Runyararo Makunde by Runyararo Makunde
09/06/2020
in Coronavirus
Reading Time: 3min read
0
All Members Of Parliament To Be Tested For Coronavirus

FILE - This undated file photo provided by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows CDC's laboratory test kit for the new coronavirus. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio implored the federal government Thursday, March 5, 2020, to send more coronavirus test kits as the city confirmed two more COVID-19 cases, both in hospitalized patients with no known travel history or personal connections linking them to the virus. (CDC via AP, File)

678
VIEWS
Share On WhatsAppShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare On LinkedIn

Zimbabwe is expecting more coronavirus testing kits from abroad to better determine the magnitude of the pandemic as it has about 12 000 Covid-19 test kits at the moment. 

Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo said in a ministerial statement to Parliament last week the country only has the capacity of doing 2 000 tests daily against a growing need to test more. 

So far, 279 people have tested positive for Covid-19 and statistics show that a majority of those are returnees from neighboring countries who must be tested. After the Government decentralized testing to provincial institutions, laboratories have struggled to clear backlogs due to resource challenges.

Since the onset of the Covid-19 outbreak in March, Zimbabwe has carried out a total of 19 237 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and 23 594 rapid diagnostic tests. Recently, Mpilo Central Hospital confirmed that the Bulawayo had a backlog of more than 5 000 affecting retests to establish whether patients have recovered. 

Dr Moyo said the key to the fight against Covid-19 lies in the ability to test more numbers as this will inform whether the disease is there or if the country only has sporadic incidence of the disease. He said his ministry submitted a request for additional financial allocation in order to test as many people as possible.

“Currently, the country has 9 000 laboratory-based PCR tests and 3 600 of the cartridge-based PCR tests. 

RelatedPosts

Ignore Lockdown Reports: Mangwana

Lockdown Update:Local Businesses Put On Hold For 30days

02/01/2021
738
Breaking News: Police Arrest 200 Teenagers At A Party In Westgate

Breaking News: Police Arrest 200 Teenagers At A Party In Westgate

02/01/2021
1.1k
Covid Hospitals In Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s Second Covid Wave Escalates As Deaths Rise to 313

17/12/2020
721
government is tightening lockdown restrictions

Government Reviews Lockdown Measures, Curfew

09/12/2020
627

“For this reason, whilst more deliveries are in the pipeline, testing has been prioritised for the quarantine areas and those patients presenting with classical symptoms of Covid-19,” said Dr Moyo. 

According to Dr Moyo, there is anticipation of an increase in the testing demand following the rapid increase in positive cases recently. 

“The country has the capacity to do slightly above 2 000 tests per day and we need to prepare for increased testing. The decentralization of PCR testing has also increased the access of the tests to the population with a decrease in turnaround time of results being observed,” said Dr. Moyo. 

There is a total of six public laboratories in Zimbabwe and one private and they are still able to run 186 PCR tests per laboratory according to Dr Moyo. He said:

“There are fourteen provincial sites with the capacity to test using the machine called GeneXpert. Each of the sites can run 32 samples a day. This gives a total lab testing capacity of 448 for the GeneXpert per day. Thorngrove and United Bulawayo Hospitals are also sites whose bio-safety is being improved to enable testing.” 

He said to curb the problem of returnees contributing most of the new Covid-19 cases, Government has made a decision to ensure that all the available resources be channeled towards testing all people in the quarantine centres. 

“As deliveries improve, the testing can then be expanded to other groups of people. Parliamentarians are also earmarked for Covid-19 testing utilising PCR,” said Dr Moyo. 

Bulawayo’s Covid-19 testing started at Mpilo Central Hospital’s National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory last month after the National University of Science and Technology’s (Nust) Applied Genetic Testing Centre (AGTC) moved in some of its equipment to complement Government efforts in fighting the pandemic. 

The laboratory is supposed to conduct PCR tests for Bulawayo, Matabeleland South, Matabeleland North, Midlands and Masvingo.

SendShareTweetShare
Runyararo Makunde

Runyararo Makunde

Media and Society Studies Student Journalist for zimtrending Blogger Copywriter

Related Posts

Ignore Lockdown Reports: Mangwana
Breaking News

Lockdown Update:Local Businesses Put On Hold For 30days

by Editorial Team
02/01/2021
0
738

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has announced stricter lockdown restrictions in an effort to curb the second wave of the Coronavirus...

Read more
Breaking News: Police Arrest 200 Teenagers At A Party In Westgate

Breaking News: Police Arrest 200 Teenagers At A Party In Westgate

02/01/2021
1.1k
Covid Hospitals In Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s Second Covid Wave Escalates As Deaths Rise to 313

17/12/2020
721
government is tightening lockdown restrictions

Government Reviews Lockdown Measures, Curfew

09/12/2020
627
Janet Munyaka

Breaking News: Covid-19 Claims Veteran ZBC Journalist

06/12/2020
965
Chirundu Boarder Post To Operate On A 24 Hour Basis

Duo Nabbed For Originating US$20 000 Worth Of Fake COVID-19 Certificates

05/12/2020
335

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
List of Top 100 Best ‘O’ Level Schools In Zimbabwe (2020)

List of Top 100 Best ‘O’ Level Schools In Zimbabwe (2020)

24/01/2021
Emap System in Zimbabwe

How To Apply For 2021 Form 1 Boarding Places On eMAP

08/01/2021
Provisional Driving Licence Test Possible Questions & Answers

Provisional Driving Licence Test Possible Questions & Answers pdf

06/12/2020
Indian sweets for bedroom use

Indian Bedroom Sweets & Love Portions Floods Harare

13/11/2020
Four Teachers Suspended After Writing Exams For Their Girlfriends.

Just In: Zimsec O’Level 2019 Results Out

6
How To See Zimsec Results Online

How To See Zimsec O Level November 2019 Results Online

4
2020 Zimbabwe Universities Application Forms (Download Now)

2020 Zimbabwe Universities Application Forms (Download Now)

3
Four Teachers Suspended After Writing Exams For Their Girlfriends.

‘O’ Level ZIMSEC Results Now Accessible Online

3
Ignore Lockdown Reports: Mangwana

Lockdown Update:Local Businesses Put On Hold For 30days

02/01/2021
Breaking News: Police Arrest 200 Teenagers At A Party In Westgate

Breaking News: Police Arrest 200 Teenagers At A Party In Westgate

02/01/2021
synthetic Indices

How To Trade Synthetic Indices: A Comprehensive Guide For 2021

01/01/2021
zesa

You Can Now Buy Zesa Using Foreign Currency

22/12/2020

Recent News

Ignore Lockdown Reports: Mangwana

Lockdown Update:Local Businesses Put On Hold For 30days

02/01/2021
738
Breaking News: Police Arrest 200 Teenagers At A Party In Westgate

Breaking News: Police Arrest 200 Teenagers At A Party In Westgate

02/01/2021
1.1k
synthetic Indices

How To Trade Synthetic Indices: A Comprehensive Guide For 2021

01/01/2021
2k
zesa

You Can Now Buy Zesa Using Foreign Currency

22/12/2020
761

ZimTrending

For all the trending news for Zimbabweans at home and abroad

Follow Us

Search this site

No Result
View All Result

Partner Websites

www.taydigital.net
www.openclass.co.zw
www.mrtaylor.me

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2021 Zim Trending If its Trending You WIll Find It Here - Website Developed & Maintained By Tay DIgital.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Breaking News
  • Entertainment
  • Business
  • Education
  • Jobs
  • Scholarships
  • Crime
  • Celebs

© 2021 Zim Trending If its Trending You WIll Find It Here - Website Developed & Maintained By Tay DIgital.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.