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GENEVA / LONDON: Some 120 million rapid diagnostic tests for coronavirus will be available to low- and middle-income countries at a maximum of US $ 5 each, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday (28 de September).
The increased availability of rapid, reliable and inexpensive tests will help 133 countries track infections and contain the spread, closing the gap with the wealthy, he said.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said manufacturers Abbott and SD Biosensor had agreed with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation “to make 120 million of these new rapid, highly portable and easy to use COVID-19 diagnostic tests are available for a period of six months. “
He told a press conference in Geneva that the tests were priced at a maximum of $ 5 each, but were expected to be cheaper.
“This will allow for the expansion of testing, particularly in hard-to-reach areas that do not have laboratory facilities or enough trained health workers to perform the tests,” Tedros said.
“This is a vital addition to test capability and especially important in high transmission areas.”
Catharina Boehme, executive director of the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), a Geneva-based nonprofit on the project, said the agreement was an “important milestone” as increased testing in countries was urgent. poorer.
“It is our first line of defense, essential for countries to track, trace and isolate to stop the spread of the virus and ensure that we are not flying blind,” he said.
“We now have two high-quality tests that are the first in a series that WHO is developing and evaluating for inclusion in the list of emergency uses,” he said.
Antigen tests, which do not require a laboratory, provide reliable results in just 15 minutes rather than hours or days and will help expand testing, Boehme said, adding: “The tests are as simple to use as pregnancy tests. “.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, another Geneva-based group, was providing an initial $ 50 million to the procurement fund and the first orders were expected to be placed this week, he said.
Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead on COVID-19, said more tests were being evaluated and would be connected.
They would be particularly useful in remote settings and for rapidly investigating clusters and bringing them under control and in areas with widespread community transmission.
“This will really be very helpful for communities and countries to know where the virus is and who is infected with the virus,” he said.
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