The Chief Executive Office of the Foods and Drugs Authority, Mimi Darko has assured Ghanaians of the authenticity of the antigen diagnostic system used at the Kotoka International Airport for Covid-19 tests.

According to her, the devices being used to administer the tests at the airport are very efficient and produce accurate results.

She added that the devices are able to identify all strains of the Covid-19 virus, thus travelers should be rest assured that they are receiving the right results.

Speaking at the Ministry of Information’s press briefing on Covid-19, she explained that several measures have been taken to ensure that the system produces accurate results.

“We have always recommended for continuous improvement so that they do. And anything that we recommend they do, they have done it. So far, we have not had any issues with the system at the airport.”

“We are assuring Ghanaians that we will continue to monitor that particular system and any other device that we register to use.  And we’ll ensure that the quality management system that is required for the device integrity to be maintained and for the results that come out of that system will be so.”

Her comment comes on the back of several concerns raised by travelers that the testing regime at the airport was producing false-positive results.

However, the Ghana Health Service has denied these claims.

The Director-General of the GHS, Dr. Kuma-Aboagye explained that although some passengers may have a negative PCR test from their country of origin, there can be a possibility of a positive result upon their arrival.

“It is worth noting that a person can present a negative PCR test on arrival and still test positive at KIA because he or she may be incubating the virus. Also, your test result status is specifically with reference to the date of doing the test, so any risky activities afterward can change your status,” he explained.

Dr. Kuma Aboagye further gave the assurance that the Covid-19 testing facility at the airport meets international standards, thus, is genuine and authentic.

“The testing at the airport prior to implementation underwent rigorous quality checks and was found to be highly sensitive. In addition, the FDA conducts regular monitoring of the work at the airport to ensure that it is up to standard,” he added.