Doctors feel wider testing will give more accurate picture of country’s COVID-19 status

The Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP) is not yet convinced that public health officials have done enough to gain an accurate representation of the country’s COVID-19 situation, even as hundreds of Barbadians return to work this week.

The organization on Monday expressed particular disappointment with the low number of daily tests being conducted during a critical six-week period that included strict lockdowns that were implemented to curb the spread of the virus.

Public Relations Officer (PRO) Dr. Russell Broome-Webster revealed that with at least five active COVID-19 hotspots and community transmission still a factor, the next two to four weeks would be critical.

Over the last two weeks, COVID-19 positivity rates have largely fallen below the benchmark of five per cent. However, the number of tests conducted ranged from as many as 742 to as few as 237 daily, which, according to BAMP should now be in the region of 1,000 to 2,000.

“Ultimately, it just feels like we couldn’t get testing levels where we wanted them to be and on this occasion, if you compare it to last year… obviously, we didn’t have as much infection roaming around and it just feels like we had some unfinished business,” Dr. Broome-Webster told Barbados TODAY.

“I heard the Government promised comprehensive testing in communities but yet we are still seeing relatively low numbers on a day-to-day basis which is something I believe the Ministry of Health and Wellness is aware of and trying to improve. But we need to get those numbers up so that we can really see what is happening in our communities,” the physician explained.

In addition to ramped up testing in communities, the BAMP spokesman is calling for more routine testing among frontline workers and those currently returning to their jobs.

“In the healthcare facilities, in the nursing homes and various areas and in media houses like Barbados TODAY, you would expect persons to want to be tested from time to time just to make sure that you are okay. This all adds to the numbers and gives us a much more informed view.

“We want to maximize the resources that we have to test widely and that is within the capacity of the lab and we certainly know right now that we are testing well below the capacity of the lab. The specific numbers are hard to nail down because…I’m not sure that that has been translated in firm terms to anyone, so I can just speak to the past and I know at one point we reported on 2700 tests in a day, so that means you could probably approach somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 tests a day,” Dr. Broomes-Webster contended.

He added that these targets will be much more important when tourists return so that further testing can be conducted.

Despite the challenges with testing, BAMP has commended Government for the COVID-19 vaccine campaign that has covered more than 52,000 people.

While Dr. Broome-Webster admits that more in-depth metrics like the number of “excess deaths” and “mortality rates” would assist the fight, he is also heartened by promises of genomic sequencing here to identify COVID-19 variants.

He further acknowledged the need to balance epidemiology with the country’s economic situation, but added that constant and in-depth surveillance would be critical.

“We need to monitor the re-opening situation closely and the best way to do that is what we have advocated from the beginning, which is to do as much testing as possible, contact tracing and isolation,” the physician concluded.
(kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb)