By Derick Tsimba

In an effort to quickly detect Covid-19 infections to help stop the spread of the deadly virus in Zimbabwe, Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) has said it will soon be rolling out testing of Covid-19 across the country.

Speaking during a media briefing on Covid-19 yesterday, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Agnes Mahomva, mentioned that people were so eager to know if there were any plans to decentralise the testing procedures to other provinces and increase the numbers of those tested.

“We have received 3 000 rapid test kits which we have already deployed to be used in provinces. We talked about the decentralisation structure where we said moving forward we are not just going to test in Harare, we are also using the Bulawayo laboratory you are aware that we have been testing there for two days,” said Dr Mahomva.

Dr Mahomva also said the country already had Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machines in Zimbabwe that are going to immediately start testing for Covid-19.

“We also have PCR machines here in Harare that can immediately start testing. We are talking about the University of Zimbabwe, the African Institute of Biomedical Science and Technology (AiBST), Gweru and Mutare.

 “We looked into the private sector who said they also want to come on board and we are in negotiations to see how best we can spread them and give them those test kits so that they will be able to start testing,” said the Doctor.

The Harare Post has learnt that Covid-19 tests will include people with pneumonia and flu, Dr Mahomva said, “Instead of testing those who simply fit the case definition according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) the MoHCC will test anyone with pneumonia and flu”.