RAPID RESULT TEST KITS HERE IN 14 DAYS

MBABANE – The country will soon be using advanced rapid result test kits for coronavirus testing, courtesy of the Kirsh Foundation.

The Kirsh Foundation was founded by billionaire Nathan Kirsh, who is based in the United Kingdom.
George Lys, Director of Kirsh Philanthropy-Africa, explained that the first batch of the test kits, 25 000 in total, had already been paid for.

An amount of E15 million was reserved for the purchase of a total of 150 000 test kits for the Kingdom of Eswatini by the Kirsh Foundation.

The E15 million is part of the E110 million that has been donated by Natie Kirsh to fight the coronavirus in the country.
Lys said they were optimistic that during the course of the next 14 days, the first consignment of the 25 000 rapid result test kits would have arrived in the country.

Delays

He explained that Eswatini was to receive at least 150 000 rapid result test kits for the next six months, which will come in tranches of 25 000 due to technical delays from the manufacturer’s side.
According to Lys, one of the reasons why the rapid result test kits would come in a staggered manner was because they were in demand the world over.

It has been reported in various media outlets that many countries have prioritised testing their populace as the most important means of curbing the spread of the coronavirus.

The high volumes of people to be tested has resulted in many countries placing large orders for the test kits.
As a result, Lys said they were unable to place an order for the whole 150 000 rapid result test kits and have them delivered at once.

He noted though that this state of affairs would allow the country to have the flexibility to switch to improved test kits should there be an upgrade in the market.
Lys stated that the kits were sourced from Abbott, a company headquartered in the United States of America (USA).
It was established that the kits were currently awaiting Customs clearance in China.

“All 25 000 test kits in the first batch have been paid for in advance,” Lys reiterated.
Dave Melvin of Swazi Pharm, the company giving technical and supply assistance to the Kirsh Foundation, explained that the advanced antibody rapid result test kits came with a lot of advantages.
The main one, according to Melvin, was that results from these test kits could be ready in 10 to 20 minutes.

Solution

Elaborating, he stated that the advancement in the kits was that the tests could be done through a finger prick and 20 micro litres of blood is drawn up with a micro pipette, put into a test cassette with two drops of a buffer solution which would then give the results.
The results will indicate if the person may be currently negative, positive or has already had the infection and developed antibodies.

This rapid result test kit serves as an added tool for the detection and management of the COVID-19 response by the Ministry of Health.
When the rapid result test kits arrive, Eswatini, together with Egypt, Angola and Benin, will be among the first African countries to make use of these advanced devices.

The donation of the test kits will place the country in a better position to conduct mass testing and do contact tracing and isolation where necessary, possibly enabling a decrease in the spread of the virus.
Government is on record stating that the shortage of test kits was a limitation in its drive to ensure that mass testing was conducted.

Of the Kirsh Foundation donation, E45 million will be directed to the less privileged to purchase food items.
The money will be distributed to 64 000 homesteads, benefitting around 320 000 emaSwati, via mobile fund transfer to cellphones.

Funds

About E20 million of the donated funds would cater for the purchase of essential personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers.
Already, around E20 million of the E110 million is said to have been channelled through Business Eswatini and the Resource Mobilisation Fund and used for the purchase of essential equipment and clothing for the kingdom’s health staff.

This includes N95 masks, surgical masks, goggles, boots, Hazmat suits and gloves.
Further, the Kirsh Foundation has donated 20 000 blankets through Business Eswatini to be distributed to the most needy as winter sets in, and 200 000 cotton masks to be distributed freely to the population.

Relationship

Said Lys: “We have an excellent working relationship with Business Eswatini who are working all hours to ensure that their members’ contributions to the fight against COVID-19 benefit the nation as a whole. They are to be commended for the way in which they have stepped up at this time of need.”

It is understood that Kirsh, through Kirsh Foundation, also tapped into his global operational capabilities to be able to assist Eswatini’s COVID-19 relief efforts.

On a positive note, Kirsh and his family are said to be watching how the crisis develops and stand ready to give further support should the need arise.

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