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Africa needs to do more in Covid-19 testing – Africa CDC expert

  • Dr Yenew Kebede, Africa CDC lab expert

By Kemo Cham

Although Africa has done more than expected in terms of Covid-19 testing within a short period of time, the region needs to do more to increase its numbers, an Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) laboratory expert has said.

Dr Yenew Kebede told West African health journalists last week that since the Africa CDC commenced its Partnership to Accelerate COVID-19 Testing (PACT) initiative, a programme designed to help and encourage member countries to increase testing for covid-19, the region has recorded 13.6million tests, as of Wednesday, September 16.

Dr Kebede was speaking as part of a presentation during a special briefing for health reporters. He said that 78 percent of the 13.6million tests were from 10 out of the 55 member states of the bloc, with South Africa at the top.

“That means that we need to scale up testing in most African countries,” he said in the press briefing hosted via zoom.

“We need to work hard to test more individuals,” he stressed.

The virtual conference which brought together over a dozen health reporters from Liberia and Sierra Leone was organized with the objective of increasing the knowledge of reporters on Covid-19, specifically on the planned introduction of antibody test for Covid-19.

The Africa CDC is the specialized agency of the African Union (AU) charged with supporting the public health initiatives of member states and strengthening the capacity of their health institutions to deal with disease threats.

There are three kinds of testing for Covid-19. The Molecular tests or PCR is designed to detect genetic materials (viral RNA) of the virus. It has an optimal detection up to 7 days after symptom onset. There is also the Antigen test, which detects viral protein that is shed during replication of the virus. Detection of the antigen test is possible up to 14 days after symptom onset, and it also has a broader window for acute infection detection. The Antibody testing is the third and newest mode of testing for the virus. It detects a protein (immunoglobulin) made by the body’s immune system to recognize and attack the virus and it can detect the protein between 5 and 7 days after symptom onset.

The PCR testing is said to be the best option, hence described as the gold standard of testing.

But all three modes of testing have unique situations under which they can be considered for use, according to Dr Kebede.

In August, the AU announced that 11 of its member states, among them Sierra Leone and Liberia, had committed to taking part in the planned antibody testing. Other countries that were announced to have committed to participate in the testing are Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Morocco.

The objective of Wednesday’s briefing was to increase the knowledge of journalists on the antibody testing and how it works.

“As journalists interested in health and science reporting, it is important that we understand the antibody testing process so that we can effectively inform audiences and readers about the scientific benefits of this process to the response against COVID-19,” the organizers said in a statement prior to the event.

Dr. Kebede, Senior Laboratory Specialist at the Africa CDC, made a comprehensive presentation on the general performance of the region on testing covid-19, which particular focus on the antibody test. He also spoke about the agency’s laboratory and testing support to member states for the COVID-19 response, which include support to establish new laboratories across the continent and improving on the testing technology.
Some 16, 000 lab experts and other health care workers were trained on COVID-19 laboratory testing aspects, he disclosed.

The Africa CDC also developed different guidance documents on COVID-19 testing and strategies on scaling-up the testing on the continent, including the PACT initiative.

When it began its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Africa CDC had a target of testing two million people within six months. Dr Kebede said this target was met earlier than expected, ahead of the deadline. He said the target was expanded to a further two million by November 2020. And as of September 16, the region had recorded 13.6 million tests.

Dr Kebede said while most African countries can now boats of using the gold standard of testing for Covid, they have realized that the antibody testing can be a good backup plan in case of shortage.

At the start of the pandemic, he noted, the region had only two labs competent to test for Covid-19.

“That was a concern for the CDC…Now all 55 member states have the capacity to test through reference standard,” he said.

The gold standard testing for covid-19 requires a highly trained expertise to conduct the test, unlike the other tests, he said.

Antibody tests can also be used in settings with limited access to laboratories or areas which have challenges with supplies for molecular testing, he added.

“We have to find different means of scaling up testing,” the Africa CDC expert said.

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