Ver Angola

Health

Covid-19: number of tests increases this month. Minister rejects experimental vaccine

According to information provided by the Minister of Health, Sílvia Lutucuta, the National Molecular Biology laboratory will increase its daily sample processing capacity, carrying out more tests for the covid-19 infection.

: José Filipe/Angop
José Filipe/Angop  

Currently, the capacity of the only laboratory in the country to carry out these tests is 91 samples per day, with an increase in these numbers expected from the second half of April.

The laboratory, installed in Luanda more than three years ago, was authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) to carry out tests on the new coronavirus (covid-19) last March. However, the capacity is still reduced, being that one of the strategies to fight the disease is to bet on tests, so that the real number of infected people is known.

According to information from the health authorities, cited by Angop, a total of 1094 samples have been processed by the laboratory so far, confirming the 19 positive cases in the country so far. Another 165 samples are being processed.

Starting in the second half of the year, we will increase the capacity of the tests. We have already placed orders and, within days, we will have reagents in the country to do more centralized tests, said the Minister of Health, quoted by Angop.

Sílvia Lutucuta also said that the country has the “endorsement” of the WHO for the use of tuberculosis testing equipment that can eventually be used to test for covid-19. The person in charge of the health portfolio recalled that this equipment is already installed in 15 of the 18 provinces of Angola.

On the same occasion, the minister also ruled out the use, for now, of any experimental vaccine. The official said that there is still no reason to subject patients to this procedure, with only 19 being infected. Still cited by Angop, he said that Angola will wait for the results of the vaccine tests in other African countries, only to comment on the relevance of these vaccines afterwards.

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