In an email addressed to Museveni and copied to the Minister of health, Prime Minister, Vice President and First Lady, the Director and Head of Humanitarian Services Mr Kinyanjui Murigi assured them that the kit has been used widely in Asia, Europe and America to combat infections and is now available globally.
That it also detects both early marker and late marker, IgM/IgG antibodies in human finger-prick or venous blood samples.
Murigi added that Rapid Kits can be used for rapid screening of carriers of the virus that are symptomatic or asymptomatic in just 15 minutes.
Recent studies suggest that a high percentage of patients show no clinical symptoms of the virus, thus screening patients is vitally important.
“The test is ideally suited for hospitals, clinics and test laboratories. The test can also be effectively deployed in businesses, schools, airports, seaports and train stations, etc., giving it the potential to become a compelling force in the fight against this global threat,” he said.
He added “Rapid Kits can also be used by all Ugandan counties with immediate effect. They do not need specialized training and can, therefore, be quickly deployed and used in vast areas greatly assisting Government to assess identified cases and employ isolation measures.”
According to Murigi, these kits can further be used by the private sector’s point- of – care medics to further assist the Government in containing the spread of this Virus. These points include private hospitals and clinics, maternity homes, chemists and pharmacies, Schools, Factories, Offices, etc.
“Almost all countries in the world including an increasing number of African countries are now stockpiling and using these kits and their approval is based upon CE Certification or FDA EUA Approval.” He said.
Currently, according to President Museveni’s address on Wednesday, the number of Uganda’s Covid-19 cases now stands at 53.
On April 8, 2020, a total number of 214 samples were tested and only one of those tested positive, 213 samples tested negative. Since the first coronavirus case was confirmed in Uganda last month, a total number of about 3,600 samples have been tested and only 53 have turned out to be positive.
Do you have a story in your community or an opinion to share with us: Email us at editorial@watchdoguganda.com
