N-VA advocates mass testing and preventive testing for the coronavirus

“We have to give people a perspective that this crisis is difficult, but also finite. Testing is a crucial part of this.” The N-VA wants Flanders to urge the federal government to conduct mass testing at the end of the quarantine measures. “Only when we really gain an insight into the pandemic and the effect of the measures can we take the right action. Without a clear view of the number of people who have had the coronavirus, it is impossible to know what measures we can lift to gradually return to normal life. But Flanders also has a role to play, by involving its state-of-the-art biotechnology sector.”

“You can’t fight a fire while blindfolded. And we can’t fight this pandemic if we don’t know who is infected,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). In an open letter, two top Belgian doctors are also requesting much more test materials and protective clothing for care providers.

Mass testing in Singapore and South Korea

Two countries have succeeded in managing the corona crisis reasonably well: Singapore and South Korea. These countries are doing what the WHO prescribes, i.e. mass testing. This makes sense, because if there is mass testing of people, infected individuals can be identified before they have symptoms. And if people are isolated as soon as they have symptoms, the number of new infections will decelerate. South Korea has already conducted more than 320,000 tests or 6,148 per million inhabitants. Belgium is lagging behind with less than a quarter of that, at 1,580 tests per million inhabitants. Today, the world is divided into testing “haves” and “have nots”, and Belgium belongs to the second group.

Not enough test materials

“Without fast and widespread testing, everyone is flying blind, from health professionals and policymakers to epidemiologists. The truth is, we have no idea of the actual number of people infected. We only know that the reported number of people infected is incorrect because we don’t have enough test materials to cover everyone with symptoms”, says the N-VA.

What about after quarantine?

More testing also provides important statistical data. “The current measures are certainly necessary”, according to the N-VA. “But then what? Tighten, extend or reduce? Which measures should we definitely keep? We need more data for that. “We have to give people a perspective that this crisis is difficult, but also finite. Testing is a crucial part of this. A lot of time has already been lost.”

Increase testing soon and involve the biotechnology sector

“A task force was finally set up this weekend to look for more test materials and protective equipment. The Flemish Government must urge the federal government to start doing more testing soon. Much more. Moreover, Flanders can also play a role by involving its state-of-the-art biotech sector”, according to the N-VA.