THE Ministry of Health has conducted a record number of COVID-19 tests so far for the month of January, 2022.

Speaking during his daily COVID-19 update on Thursday, Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony, said this is more than the number of tests conducted for the whole of 2020, when the disease was detected here in March of that same year.

This number also surpassed the average monthly figures for 2021.

“For 2021, we would have [sic] done 387,266 tests overall; that on average would be 32,272 tests per month, so you can see in January of this year we would have [sic] exceeded all of those numbers,” the Health Minister said.

He added: “So, we have been testing quite a lot. More people are coming out to be tested and we’ll continue to do that; however, we have to make sure that we are using our testing resources properly and that we are targeting the section of the population which really needs to be tested.”

Dr Anthony related that persons who are symptomatic will be given the antigen test and if found to be positive, no repeat PCR test will be conducted, as was done previously.

“For PCR, we are prioritising that for patients who really need to be checked with PCR. Those include the people who are in hospital, persons who are coming to the accident or emergency or our outpatient departments, persons who are in high-risk settings or any other person that[sic] one of the clinicians feel should be tested for COVID-19 using PCR,” Dr Anthony said.

He is also urging persons to use health centres in their areas to have their tests done.

“In Georgetown, we have seen at the Umana Yana for example, a lot of people have been flocking there. But I want to advise them that we have about eight or nine health centres in different parts of Georgetown, that are doing antigen testing, so you don’t have to go to just one site,” Dr. Anthony said. (DPI)