Laboratory capacity strengthening in Zimbabwe as part of the COVID-19 response: what has worked? What still needs to be done?

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic was declared a Public
Health Emergency of International Concern on
January 30, 2020. The government of Zimbabwe
through the Ministry of Health and Child Care set
up the COVID-19 national preparedness and
response plan in which the laboratory was a key
pillar. The implementation of PCR testing, genomic
sequencing, and the establishment of quality
management systems during the COVID-19
response strengthened the capacity of the public
health laboratory system in responding to the
pandemic. Here we present the different strategies
taken by the government that strengthened
laboratory capacity, the lessons learned during the
COVID-19 response, and recommendations on how
the capacity can be sustained and leveraged for
outbreak response in the future.