This archive report was first published on 3 July 2020.
Published on July 3, 2020, a controversy surrounding Lancet Kenya's Covid-19 testing has come under scrutiny following claims by several Kenyans that the results of the Sars-CoV-2 tests carried out at the facility are not credible.
According to Dr. Ahmed Kalebi, East Africa CEO of Lancet, the incident of disparities is not unique and that the facility has been audited by three government institutions.
Dr. Kalebi explained that the disparities between test results for Covid-19 can arise due to differences in the concentration of material in the sample tested, the sensitivity of the assays used as well as the technical quality processes in the laboratory.
He added that Lancet conducts quality control checks on all its tests and has also undertaken international external quality assurance (EQA) for Covid-19 to verify the accuracy of their testing.
Dr. Kalebi further stated that the assay used at Lancet has been confirmed at 100 percent clinical sensitivity and 100 percent clinical specificity, which is why cases of detected viral RNA at their lab end up being called negative with other assays, particularly for those with low viral loads representing late stages of infection that other labs can miss.
Despite the controversy, Dr. Kalebi insisted that the positive results are accurate and that there is no false-positive reporting from Lancet.
