The Covid-19 response team at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital has indicated that work on an in-house testing facility for the novel coronavirus is complete.

Speaking in an interview on Prime Morning Monday, a member of the team, Dr Emmanuel Addipa-Adipoe revealed that pilot testing will start on February 8, 2021.

He also indicated that with the country witnessing a second surge in the disease, Ghana’s leading test laboratory, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research has been under immense pressure.

As such, the capital’s regional hospital set the pace to procure its own resources for testing as part of its treatment and managing process of the virus.

“Through the Ghana Health Service and Health Ministry we have procured the gene expect machine to run the PCR ourselves. Noguchi has also given us the hint that they are going to supply about 700 antigens test to start a pilot project of running antigen test in the Greater Accra Regional Hospital.

“In fact as of yesterday, the director of the hospital had mobilized a team to renovate parts of the Tuberculosis laboratory and so an extension has been made where people can comfortably sit and the sampling will start.  So I am today we will start the pilot testing,” he said.

On his part, Director of the West Africa Center for Cell Biology and Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), Prof Gordon Awandare lauded the move, but called for more tests in public health facilities and schools.

“700 antigen tests will not do much, I am sure it is to let them [Ridge hospital] try it out. Because we need millions and millions of these tests.

"I also suggest that these should be used in the schools as well, for random testing of students so that students who are carrying the disease will be identified,” he stated.