Some 1 Mn Testing Kits Made Available for Nationwide COVD-19 Campaign

Addis Ababa August 14/2020(ENA) Ministry of Health disclosed that one million COVD-19 testing kits and 74,000 beds are prepared as part of the ongoing nationwide COVID-19 testing campaign. 

Ethiopia launched last week a massive COVID-19 testing campaign to conduct over 200,000 tests across the country in 15 days.

Ministry Medical Services Director-General, Yacob Seman told ENA that the campaign is aimed at weighing the overall status of the pandemic and devise ways to contain the spread of the virus.

All the necessary logistical and institutional preparations were finalized before the launching of the campaign throughout the country.

“One million testing kits, 74,000 beds and other necessary logistics as well as human resources have also been readied to carry out the campaign,” he said.

Much of the tests conducted so far are in the capital, but the campaign would in the long run help to get the full picture of the situation as it covers all the regions, Yacob added.

According to World Health Organization, a country needs to conduct 14,000 testing daily in order to identify the exact rate of the pandemic and take effective preventive measures. Ethiopia has reached this international standard by launching the campaign underway.

“Increased testing capacity is crucial to clearly understand the trend of the pandemic at national level and make the best decisions that would enable the country to tackle the problem effectively,”  according to the director-general.

Although every segment of the society is included in the campaign, priority will be given to the most vulnerable persons, including truck drivers, selected public servants, and those with associated diseases.

The ministry is conducting the campaign in collaboration with regional states and other stakeholders.

The number of coronavirus cases have been increasing dramatically over the last one month, despite the preventive measures taken by the government by declaring state of emergency.

According to Ministry of Health, the country has so far conducted over half a million tests, and reported more than 25,000 cases since the first case was reported in mid-March. Much of these cases are reported during the last two months.