South Africa will be the first country on the continent to locally develop rapid Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits.
Last week, it was announced the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) had authorised biotechnology company, CapeBio, to manufacture the kits.
CapeBio chief executive Daniel Ndima says now for the first time, Africa has its own test kit that can compete with the imported kits that have been used since the beginning of the pandemic.
“It gives us a lot of hope as a country, because it will create value chains and it will soon start to unfold. We can now localise production of this kind of technology,” he said.
Covid-19 testing is critical in managing a pandemic and particularly now with the fourth wave predicted within the next four months, Ndima said testing would be vital to identify hot spots and outbreaks.
The first batches of tests, which were co-developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, will be available by the beginning of September.
“The Covid-19 pandemic is likely to be with us for many years in the future, which is why it is important for South Africa to have its own testing capabilities,” he said.
The Cabinet announced last week the vaccine roll-out would be extended to everyone over the age of 18.
Ndima said even though the vaccine roll-out was in full swing, there would always be a need for Covid-19 testing.
“We've got to have our own testing capabilities even when we vaccinate. Vaccination does not mean that you are not supposed to be testing. You still have to continue testing,” he said
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