US donates Covid testing equipment
THE US government has donated laboratory equipment to support the Ministry of Health and Social Services in its ongoing efforts to curb the Covid-19 pandemic.
The high-tech equipment, valued at US$422 000 (approximately N$6.2 million), consists of 30 centrifuges, 15 vortex mixers, 12 biosafety cabinets, ten refrigerators and ten freezers.
The equipment will be distributed throughout Namibia and will strengthen laboratory capacity, provide a safer working environment for laboratory staff, and increase the availability of temperaturecontrolled storage for samples and tests.
Today’s lab equipment donation, funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), is part of the N$100 million of Covid-19 assistance for Namibia from the US government, which the US embassy announced in April 2020.
Centrifuges and biosafety cabinets enable laboratory staff to safely process Covid-19 specimens. Centrifuges spin at high speed to isolate the infectious material needed for testing.
Biosafety cabinets provide specialized shielding and airflow to keep the infectious virus away from the face of the laboratorian working with the Covid-19 specimens. Refrigerators and freezers not only allow for holding specimens at the correct temperatures before and after testing but also provide proper storage to guarantee quality testing. Vortex mixers mix the sample to ensure that the virus is as evenly distributed as possible during the RNA extraction process.
The US government is a committed partner in health with Namibia and has worked closely with the Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP) to build Covid-19 testing capacity since the start of the pandemic.
With support from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other stakeholders, including USAID, Namibia has implemented standard operating procedures for the safe collection and transport of Covid-19 specimens, safe handling of specimens in clinical and laboratory settings, and quality assurance in testing procedures.
The laboratory equipment was procured by USAID’s supply-chain partner Chemonics and handed over to the NIP, the largest diagnostic pathology service provider in the country, to enhance the capacity to screen and test for Covid-19 nationwide.
“This donation builds on the United States’ promise to assist Namibia as we all battle this virus. We are in this together. America remains committed to contributing to global health security and humanitarian assistance worldwide and here in Namibia,” said US ambassador Lisa Johnson.