The Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS) has said should crisis arise from the reopening of schools, the country’s COVID-19 testing facilities have the ability to test and produce results within 48 hours.

The GAMLS made this known in a statement issued on Sunday, 17 January 2020.

This comes as schools reopened, today, Monday, 18 January 2021 after the COVID-19 lockdown since March 2020.

GAMLS noted that the worry of many is whether they have adequate capacity to handle a possible increase in COVID-19 cases since most people have relaxed in respecting the COVID-19 protocols.

The Laboratory Scientists assured Ghanaians of the ability of “COVID-19 testing laboratories to test and produce results within 48 hours should there be a need to respond to crisis that may arise because of the reopening of schools."

According to the GAMLS, “there are over 18 COVID-19 testing facilities in Ghana. Each of these testing sites are enrolled onto a national quality assurance programme.”

It continued that: “Apart from those that started testing during the peak of the pandemic in Ho, Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale,” facilities such as “Effia Nkwanta Hospital, Takoradi, Sefwi Wiawso Municipal Hospital, Sefwi Wiawso, Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Cape Coast, Wa Municipal Hospital, Wa, Upper East Regional Hospital, Bolgatanga, Kintampo Health Research Centre, Kintampo North, Navrongo Health Research Centre, Navrongo,” have come on board for COVID-19 testing.  

It further continued that “there are private facilities that are also approved to conduct COVID-19 test with some capable of handling more than 8000 samples a day.” 

The GAMLS added that: “There are enough COVID-19 testing kits in the country for use and this in the meantime can support testing for any anticipated rise in case numbers.”