A release from the Prime Minister’s office on Friday morning announced the imminent arrival of 3000 rapid testing kits to be used in the continuing war against the pernicious COVID-19 disease here.
“The aircraft bringing the supplies will land at the Argyle International Airport at 1:15 today Friday 10, 2020, following which there would be the handing over to the government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,” the terse media brief detailed.
Members of the media were also “invited to cover the arrival” of the testing supplies which might just see the jump start of in-country testing. This, though, would depend on the “specifics in terms of which particular test kit” is being delivered, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Simone Keizer-Beache explained.
“We will have to establish specifically what type of rapid tests they are and therefore how they can be used best,” she told Asbert News Network.
Dr. Keizer-Beache was able to confirm that the kits would test for antibodies but only when the specifics are known would any determinations as to “the conditions of use” be made.
Some COVID-19 Rapid Test Kit technologies are single-use in vitro diagnostic devices that are used for laboratory and hospital testing. They detect IgM and IgG antibodies in patients’ blood against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
According to abbexa.com, the presence of those antibodies indicates whether exposure to a coronavirus has taken place and whether or not it is a new exposure. Results are generally ready within 15 minutes.
To date some 12 positive COVID-19 patients have been confirmed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines; they are officially described as being imported cases. One person has made a full recovery while no deaths have resulted from the disease.
Some 60 tests were announced as been completed as of April 7 and 433 persons are reported as living in quarantine conditions.