CARPHA to assist in clearing COVID-19 test backlog

−Results to be returned in 24-48 hours of departure – Health Minister

On Monday, August 31, a special flight is scheduled to arrive in Guyana to deliver much needed COVID-19 supplies.

The flight will also be transporting 500 COVID-19 test samples to Trinidad and Tobago. These test samples are being sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) as they will be assisting Guyana in delivering COVID-19 test results in a timelier manner.

Due to a backlog of COVID-19 test samples, persons have to wait more than 48 hours for results. The National Public Health Reference Laboratory has boosted its capacity over the last few weeks to correct this.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony said, this solution has materialized after engagements with CARPHA, as the Ministry sought ways to clear the backlog.

The Minister noted that several measures have been explored and executed to clear the backlog of COVID-19 test samples.

These include more Medical Technologists being trained to run samples, 24-hour shifts being implemented to have more samples processed along with the procurement of an automated Polymerase Chain Reaction Machine which will cut down the testing time from on average of about nine hours to two hours.

“We will be sending out those 500 samples for them to check so this will help us with the backlog but again our challenge has been that a lot more people are coming forward to be tested and as more people are coming forward as fast as we clear the samples that we have in the lab we are bringing in new samples so unless we add more capacity in terms of more machines it is going to be a challenge.”

To this end, the Health Minister said CARPHA’s assistance will allow for a significant clearance in test samples. He also is optimistic that once the samples leave on Monday the results should return after 48 hours.