GeneXpert for the diagnosis of COVID-19 in LMICs

Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), most countries were struggling with early detection of SARS-CoV-2 and subsequent rapid case management and contact tracing. Inadequate access to diagnostic testing and health-care facilities, which is particularly pronounced in resource-poor settings such as Madagascar, is substantially impeding COVID-19 control efforts. In this low-income country, approximately 12 million people (over half of the population) live in rural areas with poor access to primary health services and even less access to specific diagnostic services, such as SARS-CoV-2 testing.