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Status on COVID Test Kits
posted (March 17, 2020)

The Ministry of Health is also reporting tonight that the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) has made a donation of equipment and supplies for the health professionals who will continue to monitor any suspected case COVID-19.

The donated equipment includes Test Kits, 1,000 N95 respirators, 6,000 surgical masks, 2,500 gowns, 9,000 pairs of medium-sized gloves, 31,500 pairs of large gloves, and 12 units of COVID-19 banners and stands. 

Dr. Noreen Jack, the PAHO/WHO representative met yesterday with Health Minister Pablo Marin and the Director of Health Services to hand over the donation.

Here's what the Director said about the donation in this evening's webcast:

Dr. Marvin Manzanero - Director of Health Services
"We have also through PAHO yesterday, gotten PPE kits, those are being now stored at a central warehouse in Belmopan. We also have gotten testing kits for COVID 19, we just reviewed those with the lab because even though we got 3 kits of 96 tests, I have confirmed that out of that you are able to run 63 test because you use controls every time you run any COVID 19 test. So that the point we have 189 tests that we have in country now. We have already also ordered 1,000 more test kits, that will give us the capacity to run 630 more tests. The approximate cost of 630 test, is 22 thousand Belize dollars. That money is wired directly to the Roche Group of Companies, it is not any intermediary company that are getting that and the projections that we have right now is that we will need to order at least 3 thousand more test kits, it doesn't mean you're going to get 3 thousand test because you have to do controls in that regard. In terms of the lab, we are going to be sending 10 samples that have been tested for COVID 19 to CDC as an external quality control measure and we have also in discussions with the lab have agreed to now screen the patience that we may have in our health system that are critically ill and run parallel test wherever they are in country as we try to do active case seeking in that regard. As a backup CARFAD has confirmed with us that they are able to run 20 more confirmatory test for us per week."

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