Coronavirus testing within the National Capital District will be scaled up.
Deputy Controller of the State of Emergency, Dr. Paison Dakulala while speaking during the daily COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday, said there was a need to increase COVID-19 testings to curb the spread of the virus in the city and country.
“We have to do quite a number more of testing,” he stated.
“We might have probably 10 thousand cases right now as we speak in NCD and we can only confirm that through scale up of testing and that is one of the strategies that will happen as we go forward. From the medical point of view, we will increase the testing.”
He said by doing so, those who are confirmed positive will be put in isolation while suspected cases will go through quarantine to minimise the spread of the virus.
Dr. Dakulala said since the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in March, the government has so far done ten thousand tests in the country.
Almost four months later, the country recorded over 60 confirmed cases.
“62 have been confirmed, 40 pending results and 9,248 are negative and 51 are active and they are at the Rita Flynn courts as we speak,” he outlined.
“Unfortunately, two have had a fatal outcome. We have had for the first time, deaths that have happened because of COVID-19. One yesterday (Monday, 27th July) and one today (Tuesday 28th July).”
Furthermore, Dr. Dakulala has denied speculations on social media that the 35-year-old health worker from NCD died from a heart disease.
“I have the certificate of one of them, which certified clearly that it was a COVID-19 death,” he stated.
“The second case, we are waiting for the confirmation of the medical certificate but it looks like the second case, it was one that was ‘co-morbidity’, meaning that there’s other problems with him in terms of his medical issues.”