Hi-Tech Virus Tests

Kenya-China cooperation in medical technology makes testing for COVID-19 more effective

- Gitonga Njeru

John Kilemia, 51, is a lucky man and happy to be COVID-19 free after being tested on a computed tomography (CT) scan. This was made possible by an ongoing partnership between medical experts from Wuhan City in China and Nairobi in Kenya.

“I was quarantined for two weeks in late March [after arriving from Spain], just before the country banned international and domestic flights,” said Kilemia.

He was tested for COVID-19 at the CT scan facility in April and was found to be negative. The scan reveals lung infection.

“The scan is almost like an X-ray and the results are instant. Very effective, I must say, and I was home in reasonable time,” said Kilemia. The facility, located at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) in Nairobi, opened in late March. According to Mutahi Kagwe, Cabinet Secretary for Health of Kenya, unlike the traditional CT scans found in many hospitals, the facility at KNH uses scanners specifically designed using Chinese technology to detect COVID-19 and is the only one of its kind besides those in Wuhan, China.

Chinese funding

Kagwe said the facility has the capacity to test over 2,000 people per day. So far, less than 400 are being tested on any given day. According to him, this is largely because of the current availability of testing swabs and other testing reagents in the country.

“The facility is the only one of its kind on the continent and it became operational in late March. We will fully utilize the facility to the maximum when our resources become overwhelmed. [However,] we hope it won’t reach that level,” said Kagwe, noting that the facility is an important gift received from and fully funded by China.