Bostic: No tests results missing

Lt Col Jeffrey Bostic, Minister of Health and Wellness has declared that no COVID-19 tests results are missing, but the recent high volume of tests had caused an issue with the identification of samples.

Minister Bostic was responding to the media after a presentation at the Pan-American Health Organisation in Daryl’s Road, St Michael. He explained that the rumours of tests results going missing was false but there had indeed been a problem of samples being identified.

“This work starts with people who are in the field swabbing and you would appreciate that during the initial period of the current surge, there were several people being swabbed,” said Bostic.

The minister gave the example of the entire prison population, over one thousand people were inclusive of civilian staff, to show the sheer numbers which were tested in a short time span. Also mentioned was the fact that a number of businesses had chosen to close their doors and have their staff swabbed out of an abundance of caution.

“Now if the input of information at the swabbing centres are not accurate, and there are issues in terms of being able to identify names and to do the necessary matching, that is going to cause a delay,” the minister explained.

The health minister went on to say that the surge in cases and consequently tests, had been overwhelming, but the Best-dos Santos Public Health Lab had adapted and improved in its efficiency.

“As we got more test kits, as we have gotten more experience, we have been able to make adjustments, so we have had to do that with the lab. The lab itself is putting out more tests than at any other time.”

“What the lab has been able to achieve in terms of test results, even for this month alone, you would recognise that a lot of work has been done,” he said. (AS)