Andina

Peru: Implementing simple, rapid molecular test to become one of biggest challenges

18:03 | Lima, Jul. 24.

The National Health Institute (INS) is accelerating the completion of a rapid and simple molecular test to detect COVID-19 at the first level of care, its head Cesar Cabezas affirmed on Friday.

Cabezas said that the institution has been playing an important role facing the pandemic and recalled that INS staff had diagnosed the first COVID-19 case in Peru on March 6, 2020.

"They are the ones who started conducting and processing the tests and have been key in building the National Network of Public Health Laboratories, made up of 13 laboratories with molecular capacity nationwide," he stressed.

In addition, Cabezas said that an exclusive laboratory for the molecular diagnosis of COVID-19 —with a maximum capacity for 6,000 samples per day— was enabled in automated and semi-automated equipment.

Additionally, the health official highlighted that important evidence related to the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control of COVID-19 was generated in the country, which became a technical contribution for the approval and updating of public health standards for the control of said virus.

As a result of its research, the INS carried out the sequencing and analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 genomes from patients in Peru.

This study is of great importance as it will allow the INS to identify virus mutations and expansion routes nationwide, providing important information for the design and evaluation of vaccines and treatments against COVID-19.

(END) NDP/LIT/MVB

Published: 7/24/2020