[ad_1]
Washington, D.C., April 21, 2020 (PAHO) – Carissa F. Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), today called on countries in the Americas to accelerate and expand COVID-19 testing. “We need a clearer picture of how widespread the virus is and how many people are infected to guide our actions,” she said.
“As the pandemic continues to affect our region, all countries must proactively take preventive measures while preparing for more cases, hospitalizations and deaths,” Dr. Etienne said in an online press conference.
As of April 20, there have been 839,119 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Americas, with 42,686 deaths.
The director of the Pan American Health Organization said that countries were ready to test and detect COVID-19 cases long before the pandemic was declared. Since February, the Pan American Health Organization has trained and equipped PCR testing laboratories in more than 30 countries. But she noted that as cases increased, countries found it increasingly difficult to keep up.
Dr. Etienne highlighted PAHO’s advice to countries: expand testing capacity, utilizing all available national laboratories; prioritize symptomatic patients, trace contacts, and follow up with those who may have been infected; and ensure access to testing for all so that it is free for patients.
PAHO has provided more than 500,000 PCR tests to 34 countries and territories. “We are also working with other countries to track and support their capacity,” said Dr. Etienne
[ad_2]
Source link
