The government of Uganda spends an average of $70 to facilitate for the Covid-19 check up of every individual who is suspected to have the virus.
All these high costs are due to the expensive tests kits which are imported from abroad and as a country no one has ever come up with an idea of making these kits with in. The situation has however ‘forced’ a group of students from Kampala International University (KIU) into the laboratory to come up with a cheaper, reusable testing kit which can be produced in the country to reduce On the burden of expenses.
The group, led by Derick B. Wesonga a medical student at the university, embarked on a project that intended to demystify the COVID-19 pandemic through deep study of the virus that has led them come to the success of their test kit.
The kit was developed with a breathe through approach termed as “a plastic breathalyzer” which contains two tubes, one that lead exhaled air to a test chamber containing an indicator and the other, leading to a chamber that provides control is the basic description of the tool.
“You breathe out onto the device mouth, this exhaled air flows into an inlet that shuttles your air into a reagent-containing chamber,” Derick explained how the device works.
After the breath is exhaled into the kit, there can be a color change to the indicating chemical which indicates the presence of the virus and if there is no observable color change, this indicates absence of the virus.
The device’s workability depends on if the recent tests were positive which implies that a new chemical testing reagent has to be reinserted to the device after removing the one that tested positive and if the recent patient was negative, the kit can be reused until positive results are attained.
Wesonga believes that with time, they will be able to produce the kit in plenty and and shall be availed to the government and ease the work of the medics. He also believes that these kits can also be used at an individual level.
