No rapid Covid-19 tests for Namibia yet

HENRIETTE LAMPRECHTWINDHOEKNamibia is not yet using rapid testing for Covid-19, which experts say can dramatically improve Africa's pandemic response.The health minister, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, says the future use of rapid testing would depend on transmission trends in Namibia.Earlier, Shangula had said that the health ministry was investigating the use of rapid testing to improve contact tracing and the identification of infection hotspots.According to the World Health Organisation's director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the use of rapid tests could solve many of the continent's problems in fighting the pandemic. Moeti says a significant number of Covid-19 cases remain undiagnosed in Africa because of logistical problems. Rapid testing could make a big difference in problematic areas such as crowded slums and remote rural areas, he says. Many African nations have struggled to meet the need for coronavirus testing and are lagging far behind the rest of the world. Namibia is one of only 12 African countries that have managed to test 10 people per 10 000 of their population.Most African countries still use PCR testing, which requires laboratories, reagents and skilled personnel to analyse samples. For this reason, its use has been limited to major cities.It is also a slow process, with patients having to wait from two to ten days for their results.Rapid testing, on the other hand, takes less than 30 minutes and is cheap and easy to administer. According to the WHO this test is more than 80% accurate. It recommends that rapid testing be used in conjunction with PCR testing. More than 120 million rapid test kits have been made available to 20 African states.The WHO also helps developing countries to procure these tests through the United Nations network. henriette@republikein.com.na

No rapid Covid-19 tests for Namibia yet

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Namibian Sun 2026-01-09

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No rapid Covid-19 tests for Namibia yet

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Namibian Sun 2026-01-09

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