Accuracy of coronavirus tests used in Tanzania has been questioned by the country’s president after a goat and a papaya both tested positive for the disease.
President John Magufuli, whose government has already faced criticism over its handling of coronavirus outbreak and has previously asked people to pray the disease away, said the kits had “technical errors”.
He said the COVID-19 tests had been imported from abroad, although he did not give further details.
‘We should not accept that every aid is meant to be good for this nation,’ said President Magufuli.
The president claimed he asked security forces to check the quality of the kits and that they randomly obtained several non-human samples, including from a papaya, a goat and a sheep, but had assigned them human names and ages.
The samples were then submitted to Tanzania’s laboratory to test for the coronavirus, with the lab technicians deliberately not made aware of their origins.
Mr Magufuli said the return of positive results on the goat and papaya indicated some people were testing positive despite not having the virus.
“There is something happening. I said before we should not accept that every aid is meant to be good for this nation,” he said, adding that the kits should be investigated.
Mr Magufuli also said he was sending a plane to collect a herbal cure being promoted by Madagascar’s president.



Source:https://bossmeek.com.ng/2020/05/pawpaw-goat-test-positive-for-covid-19-in-tanzania.html