New deal opens way for cheap, quick Covid tests in Kenya

 

Cheap Covid-19 tests that cost less than Sh1,000 and return results in about 15 minutes may be available widely in the country this year. 

This follows a deal led by the World Health Organization and an Indian manufacturer to produce about 10 million cheap test kits every month for poor countries.

The manufacturer – Premier Medical Corporation – committed to produce antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic kits for less than Sh250 (US$2.50) per test, excluding transportation and potential levies.

Covid-19 diagnostic tests fall into two categories: antigen tests, and the molecular/ PCR tests that are widely used in Kenya. Both utilise samples taken with a nasal or throat swab.

By Tuesday, Kenya had conducted 1,192, 605 tests since the disease was first detected in the country in March last year. At least 101,009 people had tested positive for the virus.

Testing slowed down in the last two months with the country doing about 3,000 tests a day due to a shortage of extraction kits.

The Indian manufacturer was chosen through the WHO-led Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator Diagnostics Pillar, which is supporting production of cheap tests, treatments and vaccines for the disease.

The deal is also supported by Unitaid and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (Find), a non-profit organisation that is promoting access to affordable tests.

“The investment will enable current production of three million Covid-19 tests per month to be scaled up to 10 million by the third quarter of 2021,” Find said in a statement.

Antigen rapid diagnostic tests for Covid-19, though rare in Kenya, are cheap and faster. The downside is that they can be less accurate.

The more expensive molecular/PCR test recommended by the Ministry of Health requires trained personnel, specific reagents and machines. Results take hours or days but are considered more accurate.

WHO boss Dr Tedros Adhanom said: “Today’s announcement brings new hope for the many countries that have flown blind in the face of the pandemic because they could not access or afford diagnostic tools. I urge the global community to keep supporting the ACT-Accelerator and bridge the funding gap of more than US$5.3 billion still needed for diagnostics.”

Testing continues to play a critical role in the Covid-19 pandemic, enabling patient care as well as providing decision makers with vital data to inform test-trace-isolate strategies and lockdowns.

While high-income countries are now conducting 252 tests per 100,000 people each day, in developing countries the rate is 10 times lower, at just 24 tests per 100,000 people.

These issues arise from a lack of access to the laboratories needed for processing more complex molecular tests, and populations who often live far from health centres and need rapid results to avoid multiple journeys.

The ACT-Accelerator aims to deploy 75 per cent of rapid test kits in decentralised settings such as rural dispensaries.