Update on the Rapid Testing Capabilities

Marvin Manzanero

If you thought that rapid testing would increase the number of persons tested in a timelier manner locally, that won’t happen.  Director of Health Services, Doctor Marvin Manzanero says that the rapid testing, once validated and cleared, will not be used for routine testing on the Belizean populace.  That test, he says, would be used for tourists coming into the country.

Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services

“Rapid tests, we did send out the note to the comptroller of customs and that is in the press release because what you don’t want is for people to be importing rapid tests that are not yet through validation process. We checked with the regional public health entities and rapid testing is not being routinely recommended especially when you have epidemic numbers like the ones that we are currently seeing. Out of the two rapid tests that we had named  about two weeks ago, we have only been able to validate one and we were going to start the validation process for the next one last week but the lab has gotten overwhelmed doing routine PCR testing so we have only been able to validate one rapid test. Understand that when you have an epidemic, let’s say you go and start rapid testing in San Pedro – the positives that come up that is not a problem but the problem will come up when you get a negative result and then you can have a false-negative. So, the patient may be told that they are negative but in fact they are positive and so that is what you want to safeguard. Understand that even when we were looking at rapid testing, it is only for tourists coming into the safety corridor and we never said that were doing rapid testing for Belizeans coming back to their families and communities.”