Health Minister Says Local Testing Should Be Available Within A Week

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Health Minister Molwyn Joseph

Health Minister Molwyn Joseph revealed that Antigua & Barbuda should be able to test samples locally within a week.

Currently, the Ministry of Health is awaiting the results of at least nine samples, sent off to Trinidad for testing, taken from persons suspected of having COVID-19.

Health Minister Molwyn Joseph, speaking on Observer AM Wednesday morning, April, said the availability of local testing will reduce the turnaround time to a few hours.

The Health Minister blames the delay on lack of a technician to validate testing equipment.

Joseph says the technician has now arrived in Antigua and is already at work on a PCR (polymerase chain reac- tion) machine which searches for the presence of Covid-19 in swabs taken from patients.

The next stage will be for experts from regional public health body PAHO to train local lab technicians. They are due to arrive in Antigua on Friday.

Meanwhile, Joseph says the Government’s decision to implement a seven-day lockdown of the country is based, in part, on recommendations from the technicians in the Ministry’s Epidemiology Department. These recommendations were submitted after their assessment of the spread of the virus.

Joseph says it is difficult, at this time, to determine the number of people who might have been in contact with someone who has the virus.

 

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4 COMMENTS

  1. 7 days is not enough. It takes that long for any symptoms to show and then another 10-14 days for it to pass entirely

  2. @ NOT SO COMMON
    Are you watching the news in U.S.A CANADA SPAIN etc. ? You Guys in Antigua are just complaining all the time. Please be GRATEFUL for small mercies. This is UNPRECEDENTED. The Government is doing Their best under the conditions. STOP COMPLAINING and follow the procedures outlined by the Government to FLATTEN the curve . This is the time to assist the Government. STOP COMPLAINING. We complain too much in Antigua.

  3. The promising of testing locally has been spoken about 1 month ago.Molwyn Joseph would say next week.There are 52 weeks in a year.There are 26 next weeks in a year.Which next week is he referring.Which within a week is he promising this testing would be ready.Come on man be precise in your discourse.We need a date when this action would begin.All talk and no action.Time for you to go.

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