Minsal affirms that there is sufficient stock for PCR processing and maintains that suspension of examinations in clinics “is about specific situations”

The Ministry of Health assured this Tuesday that they have a sufficient supply of supplies for the processing of the PCR tests for the diagnosis of Covid-19 coronavirus, limiting that the suspension of the taking of samples to patients for the application of the test in private clinics ” it’s about specific situations. ”

“When planning the strategy to face the Covid-19 pandemic in the country, and anticipating the increased demand for the processing of PCR tests, the Ministry of Health managed the purchase of diagnostic kits and supplies, which today allows us maintain a sufficient stock for the processing of said analyzes, ”the Secretary of State assured in a statement.

This, after a series of clinics reported “technical capacity problems” for the examination processing.

The portfolio headed by Jaime Mañalich assured that “in no case there is a stock break at the national level. These are specific situations, not officially reported to the Ministry of Health, focusing on private laboratories and representing 15% of the total samples that are processed in the integrated network of laboratories ”.

They also detailed that “as of today more than 300,000 PCR tests have been carried out in the country, with a daily average of 6,000 and that some days more than 13,000 have been reached.”

“We reiterate to the community that the Ministry of Health has in its public network the capacity and the necessary stock of PCR tests to continue with the sampling process,” they pointed out.

For its part, Clínicas de Chile AG, a union that brings together the 38 main private health providers in Santiago and regions, issued a statement on the suspensions and delays in taking exams in its network of associates, stating that “we understand that due to the high demand in Chile and the world, in the laboratories there would have been a stock breakage of a reagent necessary to carry out the PCR tests ”.

The entity maintained that “the clinics are administering the test according to the severity of the people who come to their emergency services.”