There seem to be problems with Covid-19 tests after the Greek health authorities increased the number of daily testing in the last couple of weeks. The National Blood Donation Center (EKEA) announced last week that it has suspended examinations of samples for molecular control SARS-CoV-2 due to lack of reagents.
Samples were then being sent to the Laboratory of Microbiology of the Medical School of the National University of Athens(EKPA) that reportedly also cannot accept more samples and analyze them due to workload.
Newspaper ethnos, revealed that the EKPA sent memos to hospitals in Attica and some located in other regions asking them to stop sending samples as it cannot cope with the high volume “due to workload and limited reagents.”
EKEA also suspended the sample analysis due to shortage of reagents, ehtnos stressed. ΕΚΕΑ is the main center for hospital tests for health workers and patients awaiting surgery.
On Saturday some media claimed that also the Hellenic Pasteur Institute was in temporary lockdown or that that the institute’s reagent kits do not suffice to test coronavirus samples.
The Institute rejected such reports as “inaccurate and misleading.”
“The Hellenic Pasteur Institute never locked down. On the contrary, it takes in about 1,000 samples every day and performs a direct laboratory test. In fact, it publishes results on the same day for samples it receives until 3:00 pm,” the Pasteur Institute said in a statement.
The problem with the reagent kits should be fixed by September 8, the Ministry of Health promised.
The problem is that while the country seems to experience a ‘second wave’ of the coronavirus pandemic, the National Health System appears to be in an extremely difficult situation. Again.
