Govt Decentralises COVID-19 Testing Countrywide

Lusaka ~ Sun, 04 Oct 2020

By ZR Reporter

The Zambian government has decentralised testing for COVID-19 countrywide, a move that has increased testing capacity, with 2,500 tests conducted in the last 24hrs so far.

Once the new ultra modern laboratory at Levy Mwanawasa Medical University is completed, the testing capacity for COVID-19 will further increase.

Testing for Coronavirus has been decentralized as more districts are acquiring COVID-19 testing capacity using increased platforms such as the Gene expert machine used for testing TB is also being used for COVID-19 testing.

“We expect a further increase the number of tests when the new lab at levy starts testing next week,” Health Minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya recently disclosed when he commissioned the new ulta morden Zambia National Public Heath Reference Laboratory with capacity to test 3000 COVID-19 samples daily.