Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Dr. Carissa Etienne yesterday urged the organization’s member states to conduct accelerated and expanded testing for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The call for increased testing was made during a virtual media briefing that was also broadcast live on various social media platforms. The briefing saw remarks being given by Etienne, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Assistant Director at PAHO, Dr. Ciro Ugarte, Director of Health Emergencies, Dr. Marcos Espinal, Director of the Department of Communicable Diseases and Dr. Sylvain Aldighieri, Incident Manager.
Public health authorities here have been criticized for doing limited testing for the virus.
In the opening address of the briefing, Etienne noted that as the pandemic continues to impact the region, it is vital for all countries to embrace preventative measures, while preparing for more cases, hospitalizations and deaths. She added that “we are fighting an invisible enemy” as there is currently no full picture of how COVID-19 is affecting all societies and that must change so a clearer view can be gathered. With a clearer view, the actions of the health authorities will be guided accordingly.
“It is important to accelerate and expand testing to track the spread of COVID-19 in the Americas,” Etienne said, while adding that with expanded and decentralized testing, the organization will be able to monitor the trends of the pandemic in each country. She added that it also aids in governments being able to reinforce or adjust public health measures and restrictions. The PAHO Director went on to say that such testing will permit local authorities to strengthen contact tracing and further be able to isolate suspected cases quickly and “break the chain of transmission in communities”
The Director referred to countries like the Republic of Korea and Germany, which both have seen success in limiting the impact of the disease through the implementation of widespread testing and contact tracing.
“I urge countries in our region to follow their example and expand their existing testing capacities,” she said as she added that testing can be a powerful tool to manage the pandemic when combined with other public health measures.
Etienne said that PAHO recognizes that some countries have found it difficult to keep up with ramping up testing capacity.
It was noted that before the pandemic was declar-ed, many countries in the region were prepared to test and detect cases of the disease and by the end of February, PAHO distributed the necessary reagents required for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing and provided training for the appropriate use to more than 30 member states.
Thus far, the organization has distributed over 500,000 PCR tests to 34 member states and territories and has worked with other countries to keep up with and support their capacity. Etienne noted that during this week PAHO will be distributing 1.5 million tests through the region along with some 3 million the following week. It was, however, stated that PAHO had also faced a challenge of manufacturers not providing tests as quickly as they were needed. Nevertheless, to address the challenge they are currently working with “leading manufacturers” to make the tests available through the “PAHO Strategic Fund”.
Later on during the briefing, Ugarte noted that PAHO’s emergency budget for the pandemic response stood somewhere around US$96 million, while some US$30.5 million would be allocated to response in the Caribbean region.
Asked when the spread of the virus would reach its peak point in various member states, Aldighieri noted that the organization cannot generalize the peak time in the region and added that it would instead have to observe trends of the virus in the various member states.
According to Etienne, PAHO is considering tests that run on both open and closed platforms to maximize the country’s ability to test. However, they want to ensure that reliable products are procured and have been providing guidance. Furthermore, she stated that even as the landscape is changing, PAHO will continue to assist and evaluate new tests as they become available.
