The Gaza Strip continues to test for COVID-19 but equipment is in limited supply. The territory, which has been blockaded by Israel for the past 13 years, is now able to test less than 500 individuals per week for the virus.
Testing is essential if the virus is not going to make its way into the country at large. The strip is one of the most densely populated areas on earth, with many living in crowded conditions or in refugee camps.
There have been 17 confirmed cases of the virus to date, 9 of which have recovered and 8 are still active.
On Wednesday 22 April, there were 1,934 people distributed amongst the 27 quarantine centres in Gaza. Anyone entering the country, including through the Rafah and Bet Hanoun border crossings, must spend 21 days in quarantine to ensure they are not showing symptoms.
There have been 17 confirmed cases of the virus to date, 9 of which have recovered and 8 are still active.
Those in quarantine need to be tested before leaving the centres to ensure they do not take the virus with them to the general population. Some people need to be tested more than once. Healthcare workers and other staff also need to be quarantined and tested before they can go back to their families. It is of paramount importance that staff can get proper rest for the work against the virus to be sustained.
Dr Khamis Elessi, Associate Professor and Head of the Evidence-Based Policy Unit at Islamic University of Gaza, told Al Bawaba that “PCR kits are badly needed here in Gaza. There are three machines to do the tests but the kits only allow for between 400 to 500 test per week. But what they actually need is 500 to 1000 per day.”
Last week the Israeli authorities allowed five testing kits, purchased by the World Health Organization (WHO), into Gaza. Each kit, known as a RT-PCR test, can be used on 96 individuals.
“PCR kits are badly needed here in Gaza. There are three machines to do the tests but the kits only allow for between 400 to 500 test per week. But what they actually need is 500 to 1000 per day.”
The extreme shortage of COVID-19 testing kits comes in the context of a recent cessation of testing by the Israeli authorities. On Wednesday it was reported that the IDF would no longer be testing individuals in Gaza. There was previously a plan to test 50 people per day and carry the tests back into Israel for analysis but a reported breakdown in organisation has meant that this will no longer take place. There have so far been no reports on when or how testing might be resumed.
Dr Elessi warns that “if the virus found its way into the densely populated areas of Gaza then it would be a catastrophe. It would be like a freefall scenario, unlike any other country. It would be very hard on the people.”
