Inside Story

How can obstacles to widespread coronavirus testing be overcome?

Many countries struggle to roll out enough testing kits for suspected cases of COVID-19.

Isolate, test and trace.

That is the urgent message from the World Health Organization to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Many countries have imposed mass lockdowns and ordered people to stay home.

However, few – such as South Korea and Singapore – have implemented widespread testing.

Many European countries and the United States are limiting tests for only the most critical of cases, as testing kits are in short supply.

So, how can we overcome challenges to widespread testing?

Presenter: Bernard Smith

Guests:

Arisina Ma – president of the Hong Kong Public Doctors’ Association

Yik Ying Teo – dean at Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore

Ingrid Katz – assistant faculty director of Global Health Institute at the Harvard University