Including this delivery, there are already 60,000 COVID-19 diagnostic tests available out of 100,000 tests that are being purchased, for which ISA provided COP 4 billion.
Other entities participating in this initiative are the Governorship of Antioquia through the Departmental Laboratory of Public Health, the Mayor’s Office of Medellin, and the One Health Genomic Laboratory of Universidad Nacional, Medellín Campus.
With the objective of reaching people who do not have access to the health system, several entities have joined efforts to launch the first surveillance pilot addressed to self-employed population.
Progress is being made to import, deliver, and organize logistics to offer and process COVID-19 diagnostic tests, which are being purchased with ISA’s COP 4 billion contribution through Ruta N’s Innova por la Vida program.

Including this second batch, there are already 60,000 tests available out of the 100,000 tests agreed under this program, which confirms that the parties to this alliance have articulated the efforts of public and private institutions to guarantee a flow of supplies for the massification of COVID-19 diagnostic tests, to help contain this pandemic.

“Delivering these tests has been a dynamic process with the clear goal of assisting with the health emergency and supporting economic revival, while geographically covering the country’s most urgent needs. The pace of our work is determined by the pandemic, so we have been acting accordingly,” Bernardo Vargas Gibsone, ISA’s CEO, said.

“These tests help determine the current status of the pandemic in the country. These data are useful for making high-impact decisions, such as reactivating a productive sector or setting up epidemiological barriers so that an outbreak affects the population as little as possible. The virus will be here for a long time, so this is the only scientifically validated way to have supplies that allow us to exercise intelligent control and isolate sectors without deeply affecting economic growth,” Juan Andrés Vásquez Gutiérrez, executive director of Ruta N, said.

It should be noted that these molecular tests are based on the detection of genetic material of viruses (RNA) using the RT–PCR method, automated extraction, and the Berlin Protocol, recommended by the World Health Organization and endorsed by the National Institute of Health of Colombia. The arrival of a third batch with 40,000 tests is expected for the coming days.

How is the distribution of the first batch going?

The country’s public health situation has made it necessary to deliver these diagnostic tests in a more flexible way, meeting new needs, and seeking to assist the most affected communities, who are the ones with the least access to resources for dealing with the pandemic.

In the case of Nariño, approximately 2,000 tests have been delivered to help control the situation in Tumaco. Likewise, in the last few days, 5,000 kits have been delivered to Chocó for sampling, of which about 500 have already been processed by the Antioquia Departmental Laboratory.

In the Caribbean Coast, 3,400 tests have been already delivered to the Virology and Genetics Laboratory of Universidad Simón Bolívar in Barranquilla, and 3,400 tests to the Molecular Research Unit of Universidad de Cartagena, both of which have the infrastructure to process them.

About Innova por la Vida

The purchase of 100,000 COVID-19 diagnostic tests results from the initiative of Innova por la Vida, a platform designed by Ruta N, which works together with the Governorship of Antioquia, the Mayor’s Office of Medellín, Universidad Nacional de Colombia – Medellín Campus, and ISA.

Innova por la Vida works from several fronts: joining efforts to manufacture low-cost ventilators for ICUs (InnspiraMED), seeking to improve the capacity of the hospital system, and creating technological tools that use the power of data to make public health decisions.

The main purpose of this initiative is to meet the need to increase the number of diagnostic tests in the country to include all the cases (suspected, asymptomatic, and contact cases) through the departmental laboratories of the National Institute of Health (INS).

This alliance allows joining efforts between public and private institutions to guarantee a constant influx of supplies that allows the massification of COVID-19 diagnostic tests, thus helping contain the pandemic.

Surveillance pilot addressed to self-employed population for economic revival

The first surveillance pilot addressed to self-employed population, a product of a collective effort of several entities, was launched this week. The goal is to reach the population working in the informal sector, who in many cases do not have access to the health system and who may or may not have symptoms. In addition, this effort seeks to determine the status of the virus in the communities that live in the different regions of the Department of Antioquia, as well as to identify the characteristics of the disease, to apply control strategies.

This pilot was made possible thanks to the effort of public and private entities, who have provided knowledge, skills, and monetary resources. Besides the Governorship of Antioquia, the Mayor’s Office of Medellín and Ruta N, the participating entities are:

•ISA: provision of PCR tests.

•One Health Laboratory, Universidad Nacional: test processing.

•Metro de Medellín: provision of 4 stations to collect samples (Niquía, San Antonio, Poblado, and Sabaneta).

•Sura: provision of sampling booths and sampling personnel.

•Comfama and Comfenalco Antioquia: communication and pedagogical strategy on the necessary care.

Passengers can find the booths at said stations, between July 6 and 16. The booths comply with all the technical requirements and safety protocols. These booths are labeled and invite users to get tested voluntarily through the message “If you are self-employed, get tested here” (“Si eres trabajador independiente hazte aquí la prueba.”)

In addition to testing, the self-employed population will receive information about the disease as well as prevention tools: what it is, how it spreads, and how it is prevented. In addition to identifying possible infections, the project seeks to promote the value of self-care as the best protection and prevention tool for people, their families, and communities.