Government yet to run tests to daily capacity

The country is still utilising a part of its limited capacity in testing coronavirus infections even five weeks into the detection of the first case while experts observe that tests and detection of patients are only way to check the spread of COVID-19.

Government data shows that the 20 coronavirus testing laboratories have so far used less than half of their capacity while about 50,000 people have called government hotlines almost every day, many with a request to be tested for coronavirus.

Health services additional director general Nasima Sultana said that the country now could utilise its partial lab capacity as shortage of medical technologists was hampering the sample collection.

The government has appointed no medical technologists in a decade, she added.

‘Tests are necessary for breaking the transmission chain of the new coronavirus,’ Dhaka Medical College virology department associate professor Monira Pervin said.

‘As long as we do not have a cure for the disease caused by coronavirus, limiting its spread through tests is the only way to deal with it,’ she said.

A PCR machine can test 96 samples at a time in three hours, said Monira, who is coordinating the operation of the coronavirus testing lab at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

With a steady supply of samples, a PCR machine can easily operate four times a day, testing 384 samples, she said.

‘But the highest number of samples tested so far at the DMCH lab in a day was about 90,’ she added.

Monira said that four times operation a day would allow a PCR machine enough rest and medical technologists enough time to prepare samples for the tests.

She estimated that 30 medical technologists should be enough to run a PCR machine round the clock.

‘Only a week of training will prepare medical technologists for the job,’ she said.

The laboratories in operation, except for the one at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, have a combined capacity of 6,144 tests a day.

In 24 hours ending at 8:00am on April 17, Bangladesh conducted the highest 2,190 tests in a day, including 440 at the IEDCR lab.

The IEDCR has the capacity of testing 1,000 samples a day as there are several PCR machines in operation there, but it has so far used hardly half of the capacity.

On April 14, the health services directorate announced that 11 new labs were about to begin testing but health experts said it would not make a big difference if their capacity was partly used too.

Most of the countries took a while to realise the severity of coronavirus contagion but once they realised it they rapidly increased their testing capacity.

Universities offered their PCR machines to help those countries run more tests amid the WHO’s call on authorities to use every resources available in the fight against coronavirus.

Bangladesh, however, began looking for more PCR machines at public and private universities only about a week ago.

Eight public universities responded until Wednesday saying that they each had a PCR machine which could immediately be used.

‘Our experienced teachers and researchers are all ready to help the government,’ said Shahjalal University of Science and Technology vice-chancellor Farid Uddin Ahmed.

‘We are not asking for money. All we need are samples, testing kits and protective gears,’ he said.

University Grants Commission member Dil Afroza Begum said that over a dozen specialists in different universities could help the government in increasing the testing capacity by many ways.

‘Additionally, they can train others,’ she said.

‘Unfortunately, the idea of using academic specialists never crossed the government’s mind, so our proactive efforts to help proved futile,’ said Dil Afroza.

IEDCR refused to make any comment on the issue of laboratories not running at their full capacity.

For nearly a month after the first coronavirus case was reported the IEDCR was the only coronavirus testing lab testing less than 50 samples on average a day.

The government increased the number of the testing labs in the wake of widespread protests at low-number of tests from April 5.

‘The government is trying to explore every way possible to increase testing,’ said Nasima.

Bangladesh Medical Technologist Association president Almas Ali Khan said that the government would never be able to use its full lab capacity if more medical technologists were not immediately appointed.

Some of the 3,000 government medical technologists who are collecting samples are already infected, he said.

To begin with, Almas said, the government should recruit 1,000 medical technologists without any delay to use the full capacity of the 17 labs in operation at the moment.

BMTA former general secretary Sailm Mollah said that 15,000 of the unemployed medical technologists were specially trained on lab operations.

‘The government need to appoint them immediately to ensure sample collection from every corner of the country,’ he said.

So far 60 people have died of COVID-19 and 1,512 have tested positive in the country.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net