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African Nations Try to Overcome Shortage of COVID-19 Test Kits

April Zhu

   NAIROBI - The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa has
   surpassed 800, an eightfold increase from just one week ago. But a
   shortage of test kits in many African countries means the number of
   infected is likely far higher.

   Dr. Ahmed Kalebi has been trying to acquire test kits for his
   laboratory in Nairobi.

   Kalebi is a lead consultant pathologist at Lancet Group of
   Laboratories, a network of private diagnostic labs in Africa. A week
   ago, he found out for himself just how difficult it is to get tested
   for the coronavirus in Kenya.

   After returning from Rwanda, he developed joint pain, fever and
   coughing.

   The next day, Rwanda confirmed its first case of COVID-19.

   "I decided not to go to the mosque. I decided not to go to work. I
   observed myself, and it was getting worse, so I called one of my
   colleagues at the office -- one of my doctor friends -- put on my mask
   and went to see them." Afterward,Kalebi said, he decided it was best to
   get tested.

   Few tests available

   Although the Kenya Medical Research Institute conducts tests at no cost
   to the patient, it hasn't been easy to get tested for
   coronavirus.Kalebi said this was because there were only a couple
   hundred test kits left in Kenya.

   So he sent his sample to a laboratory in South Africa. Even there,
   Kalebi said, there was a backlog of 7,000 samples.

   "Not many countries have commercial or large-scale production of these
   kits, and certainly in Africa we don't have that," he said.

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