Rwanda - A Coronavirus Success story

[iluvtennis]

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/07/15/889802561/a-covid-19-success-story-in-rwanda-free-testing-robot-caregivers



In some places in the world right now, getting tested for COVID-19 remains difficult or nearly impossible. In Rwanda, you might just get tested randomly as you're going down the street.

"So whenever someone is driving a vehicle, bicycle, motorcycle or even walking, everyone is asked if you wish to get tested," says Sabin Nsanzimana, director general of the Rwanda Biomedical Center, which is the arm of the ministry of health that's in charge of tackling COVID-19. Health officials in personal protective equipment administer the test. Nsanzimana says the testing is voluntary, although some others say refusal is frowned upon.

The sample collection — from a swab up the nose — and filling out the contact information paperwork takes about five minutes.

"All these samples are sent that day to the lab," Nsanzimana says. "We have a big lab here in Kigali. We have also six other labs in the other provinces."

Despite being classified by the World Bank as a low-income country, and despite its limited resources, Rwanda has vowed to identify every coronavirus case. Anyone who tests positive is immediately quarantined at a dedicated COVID-19 clinic. Any contacts of that case who are deemed at high risk are also quarantined, either at a clinic or at home, until they can be tested.

Nsanzimana says health workers call or visit every potential contact of someone who tests positive.

"We really believe that doing so is important to make sure we detect and trace where the virus could be," he says.

Comprehensive contact tracing is a task that has overwhelmed countries with far more resources than Rwanda. Rwanda's per capita income is roughly $2,000 per year. Yet all testing and treatment for the virus is provided for free.

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Nation of 12 million people. 1500 total cases. 250 deaths total

Heard about Rwanda on talk show i listen to. A church pastor just got back from trip there checking on high school his church built and supports. To get on Ethiopian Airlines flight in Washington DC, you had to provide proof of negative CV test taken within 48 hrs if flight. Once landing in Rwanda, he had to take Covid test. Results back in 2 hours. Everyone in country wears a mask. And their automation with the robots is amazing - I love it!

And trump called nations like Rwanda shithole countries. We could learn a few things from them/other countries.

[Iliyah]

1. Mask . ...

that helps.

[JCMach1]

2. Essentially what Kenya was doing. Worked for a.long time

Now, cases are exploding