KNUST, Incas Develop Test Kit For Detecting COVID-19

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Ghanaian diagnostic company, Incas Diagnostics, have developed a Covid-19 test kit that gives results between 15-20 minutes.

According to a statement signed by the University’s Public Relations Officer, Dr Daniel Norris Bekoe, validation has started the Covid-19 rapid test kit, awaiting approval from Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) .

Called the ‘COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test‘ the device requires little technical training for those performing the test.

“The test which takes 15-20 minutes to perform, would enable those tested to know their results in a shorter time to enable decision making in real time by health authorities, ” the statement noted.

It indicated that the test would largely be carried out “using a finger-prick blood and in lateral flow format, similar to blood glucose test or home pregnancy test.

Prior to this, tests conducted in Ghana have largely been molecular diagnostics; Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) which detects part of the viral genome very early in infection and takes at least 48 hours from testing to results.

The developers of the latest test kit say the old system delays contact tracing and other efforts to fight the virus.

The KNUST statement said “The PCR tests are also unable to identify people who have been infected and recovered.”

It said the “KNUST/Incas RDT detects asymptomatic cases, enables decentralized testing to be done anywhere without requiring any equipment.”

The two institutions say they have always been in touch with Ghana’s health ministry, the national Covid-19 response team about this new test kit and are optimistic that the innovation helps in containing the spread of the virus and adds to Ghana’s domestic capabilities to depend on itself to fight the pandemic.

Ghana’s current case count

The Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Aboagye has said Ghana’s COVID-19 cases have risen to 1,671 from 1,550.

Addressing a Press Conference yesterday, Dr Aboagye stated that 1,461 are doing well with no symptoms and are currently responding to treatment. He added six are moderate to critically ill.

Explaining further, he said over 188 people have now recovered with deaths still at 11.

“Ghana currently has 1,671 cases confirmed as at this morning. Out of this 568 has come from general surveillance which those who fall ill and approached the hospital and were tested. 105 still remains part of the earlier quarantined in Tamale and those we have from the enhanced tracing that’s the group that we actually went out to look for, we found a 1,113 bringing our total to 1,671. Currently, about 1,461 are well or no symptoms and are responding very well to treatment. We have about six who are moderate to critically ill, two (2) at UGMC, three (3) in Ga East, and one (1) in Korle-bu as we speak today all the other part of the country we do not have any other critical cases. For recoveries, we have recovered about 188 all these people have recovered and we are waiting on more for the second test to be discharged,” he said.