Rwandan newspapers highlight ongoing research, innovation actions related to COVID-19 outbreaks

09 Mai 2020

Kigali, Rwanda, May 9 (Infospluagabon) - Rwandan newspapers this week focused on current research actions related to COVID-19 and outbreaks with one of the ongoing effort aimed at turning  laboratories that normally test for HIV to test COVID-19 patients.

In addition to these innovations, the newspaper also gave a wide coverage of other collaborative initiatives currently underway, including the adoption by African countries of new Madagascar COVID-19 “Cure”, described by many as a miracle treatment for the COVID-19 virus, which has attracted praise, excitement, silence and rebuke from every corner of the continent.

Under the headline, 'Kagame Not Excited About Madagascar COVID-19 “Cure”, one of the privately-owned newspaper, 'The Chronicles', wrote that Malagasy President Andry Rajoelina announced that his country would offer free Tambavy CVO medicine to all hospitals in Africa.

Tests have been carried out – two people have now been cured by this treatment,” Mr Rajoelina said at the launch of Covid-Organics at the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research (Imra), which developed the tonic, on April 21.

According to the newspaper, various African countries, including DR Congo, have sent government-chartered planes to pick the bottled medication from Madagascar, stressing, however, that one one key voice missing from this chorus of African excitement over the Madagascar initiative, has been President Paul Kagame.

During an international Presidential press conference, President Kagame on April 27, Rwandan leader's answer shocked many, but was received with relief in the scientific community, the newspaper said.

"For me and other leaders in this country, we give precedence to science,” responded Kagame. “There is still much to understand about this virus and how to respond. We have Rwandans working on ventilators….There are international efforts, be it on getting the cure, immunisation and anything else, there are local efforts and we are also working with international partners.”

On Madagascar’s cure, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said in a statement that the global organisation did not recommend “self-medication with any medicines… as a prevention or cure for Covid-19”.

In another article, the English daily 'The New Times' reports that the Rwandan Government is working on a plan that will see laboratories that normally test for HIV to test COVID-19 patients.

The Director-General of Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), Dr Sabin Nsanzimana, told the newspaper that efforts are underway to create facilities where more tests can be conducted with the aim to upgrade current testing capacity which can only benefit for more than 1,000 people a day.

As part of these efforts, senior Rwandan official told 'The New Times'  that the country aims to take the laboratories closer to the people without necessarily having to wait for everything to come to the national lab.

"There is no country that can confidently tell you that they have enough laboratories fully equipped," Dr Nsanzimana told the newspaper.

On the other hand, the senior Rwandan health official explained that with the partial lifting of the lockdown, the government is doing everything possible to be ready in case there is a spike in the numbers of the infected.

Reporting on other innovations introduced in the fight against New Coronavirus, the semi-private English daily 'KT Press' reported that Rwanda will start using robots in the handling of COVID-19 cases in a bid to minimise human-to-human contact.

In the video, the robot filmed in the treatment centre, is ordered to go to its charging point and it obliges in the demo footage, responding to human orders.

Speaking on the Rwanda Television on Friday, the Minister of Health, Dr Daniel Ngamije, revealed that five robots have been named Urumuri, Icyizere, Kazuba, Ngabo and Mwiza and they will be helping in the handling of COVID-19 tests.

In addition, the senior Rwandan Health official said the robots will be deployed in places where many people convene such as bus terminals, to do random tests and identify people who could have signs of COVID-19.

“For disease prevention, robot-controlled non-contact ultraviolet (UV) surface disinfection is being used because COVID-19 spreads not only from person to person via close contact respiratory droplet transfer but also via contaminated surfaces,” KT Press quoted a study published in the Science Robotics.

FIN/ INFOSPLUSGABON/VVG/GABON2020

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