Health Authority of Syria’s Euphrates Region: WHO only accepts PCR coronavirus results in Qamishli

KOBANI, Syria (North Press) – The adviser of the Health Authority of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria's Euphrates Region, Hikmat Ahmad, said on Sunday that they have not used PCR machines for examining samples of suspected coronavirus cases in Kobani, because WHO accepts the use of only one machine in northeast Syria.

In a special statement, he told North Press that they required the provision of several machines in all cities, and they also sent laboratory physicians of the Health Authority to attend educational sessions in Qamishli for using the machine, "but the WHO accepts the results of only one machine in northeast Syria, which is in Qamishli,"

Ahmad, the Spokesman of the Coronavirus Scientific Committee affiliated with the Euphrates Region Health Authority, added that the work of the machine in Qamishli is carried out under the supervision of specialists from the WHO.

According to Ahmad, a special team transfers the samples from Kobani to Qamishli in a special car with refrigeration to examine them, adding that "we used to send the samples every Sunday and Wednesday, and now we send them daily."
 

Ahmad said that he contacted the Health Authority of North and East Syria for the usage of a PCR machine in Kobani as well, but is waiting on WHO approval.

There is one PCR machine in the Euphrates Region, sent by the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, while there are 11 machines in northeast Syria, after receiving four machines from the Kurdistan Red Crescent Organization a week ago, according to the Euphrates Region Health Authority.

Ahmad pointed out that the examinations' accuracy worldwide is between 40% and 70%. "Even the results of PCR machine are not 100% accurate, therefore the samples of suspected cases are sent more than once to confirm infection before informing them and announcing the infection."

(Reporting by Fatah Issa)