COVID-19 Community Wide Mass Testing will not be done – Prof Mulenga
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- 18 Jan 2023
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Ministry of Health Director of Infectious Disease Professor Llyod Mulenga says the country will not conduct community wide mass testing for COVID-19 as most people are not exhibiting symptoms.
Prof. Mulenga stated that the highly transmissible Omicron sub-variant XBB1.5 has not been detected in the country, and it is therefore not necessary to undertake community mass testing.
“The Ministry is presently placing a focus on testing for people who are showing some symptoms and those who are in health facilities,” he said
And Prof. Mulenga explained that there are sufficient stocks on handful both polymerase chain reaction testing and rapid testing for anyone who visits a facility with symptoms of the virus.
The increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths across the country has been attributed to a new sub-variant of the Omicron Corona Virus called XBB.
“We are still not doing mass testing, as you know the Omicron variant is one of the widely spread and also highly stransmiseable virus and this variant which we have recorded the XBB is also highly transmissible, we have not recorded the XBB1.5 which is very highly transmissible and seculating in Europe, parts of Asia, and also in America, we have not recorded that one which is very highly transmissible, but we have recorded the XBB that has its own sub lining,” he said. Read More…
