Covid-19 testing

LAST week Zambia crossed the 7,000 mark of laboratory confirmed coronavirus cases and worse still over 200 corona related deaths.

These deaths were related to co-morbidities that also marked a spike in brought in dead cases, where the infected individuals sought help at a health facility too late.

The Ministry of Health then disclosed that over 90,000 Covid-19 tests had been undertaken since the coronavirus emerged on Zambian soil, but Zambia was now faced with a potential testing crisis as test kits were becoming harder to source due to global demand and a breakdown of supply and logistic systems.

It is in this light that the Medical for Quality Health Care in Zambia (MQHZ) has advised Ministry of Health to give priority to people with severe symptoms when testing for Covid-19.

The organisation said it was important that priority on the testing be placed on those that had severe symptoms to save the test kits.

MQHZ Director-General Quince Mwabu told The Sun that with the lack of test kits in the country, there would be a crisis if every person that walked into the facility was tested.

“We need to put priority first as a country before we are hit with a big crisis. Let us not waste much test kits by testing anyhow because people have requested to be tested,” he said.

Dr Mwabu said that it was important for close contacts to those who tested positive to self-isolate especially if they did not show any symptoms.

He said that even those that were close contacts showed a bit of some symptoms could self-isolate even before going for a test.

Dr Mwabu said that that would help the country save test kits for those with severe symptoms.

He said that the shortage of test kits was a global challenge, stating that it was only important that the country managed what it had properly and took priority.

With the daily Covid-19 updates, members of the public are consistently advised on how best to avoid contracting the deadly virus while dispelling myths surrounding the pandemic.

This being the winter season, common cold, flu and pneumonia cases were expected to go up and we were ably advised on how to protect ourselves. 

Under the new normal, medical staff do not have the luxury of time to attend to these common ailments when we know that Covid-19 can be fatal. 

Making the distinction between seasonal illnesses and coronavirus would require testing but we should now be aware that this may not always be possible.

Over the past few years, Zambia has made big strides in expanding the availability of health services across the country and the Ministry of Health in collaboration with other agencies have established Covid-19 response teams at district levels, but all this may be in vain if we squander the essential items such as testing kits and personal protective equipment (PPE).

At an individual level we can contribute to supporting our courageous frontline workers firstly by following the public health guidelines and secondly by ensuring that those with clear symptoms of Covid-19 access health services in time.

The minister has warned that self-diagnosis and treatment has made it harder for medical staff to treat patients once they are at health facilities and so it is important that we take interest in the information being provided to the public.

It is easier for us to stay home and safe from coronavirus than to act recklessly and then live with the anxiety of not knowing whether you do or do not have Covid-19.

Worse still is that asymptomatic persons have continued to move around in our communities instead of being quarantined for the recommended 14 days.

This means that a good number of tests that are done are in vain.

We agree that Government must consider limiting the testing for Covid-19 and instead increase public education on management of Covid-19 cases to ensure that we are able to manage the limited resource.

Testing for Covid-19 is not the beginning or the end of treating Covid-19 it requires public health guidelines adherence and treatment from qualified medical staff.

It is our hope that government will heed the advice of MQHZ of only testing those persons presenting with critical symptoms of Covid-19.