PLoS ONE (Jan 2022)

Using drones to transport suspected COVID-19 samples; experiences from the second largest testing centre in Ghana, West Africa.

  • Augustina Angelina Sylverken,
  • Michael Owusu,
  • Bernadette Agbavor,
  • Alex Kwarteng,
  • Nana Kwame Ayisi-Boateng,
  • Patrick Ofori,
  • Philip El-Duah,
  • Richmond Yeboah,
  • Sherihane Aryeetey,
  • Jesse Addo Asamoah,
  • Rita Ziem Ekekpi,
  • Morrah Oppong,
  • Richmond Gorman,
  • Kofi Adjei Brempong,
  • Emmanuella Nyarko-Afriyie,
  • Felix Owusu Bonsu,
  • Rita Larsen-Reindorf,
  • Michael Rockson Adjei,
  • Gifty Boateng,
  • Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe,
  • Badu Sarkodie,
  • Dennis O Laryea,
  • Emmanuel Tinkorang,
  • Patrick Kumah Aboagye,
  • Anthony Nsiah Asare,
  • Kwasi Obiri-Danso,
  • Ellis Owusu-Dabo,
  • Yaw Adu-Sarkodie,
  • Richard Odame Phillips

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0277057
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 11
p. e0277057

Abstract

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BackgroundThe declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11 2020, by the World Health Organisation prompted the need for a sustained and a rapid international response. In a swift response, the Government of Ghana, in partnership with Zipline company, launched the use of Unmanned Automated Vehicles (UAV) to transport suspected samples from selected districts to two foremost testing centres in the country. Here, we present the experiences of employing this technology and its impact on the transport time to the second largest testing centre, the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) in Kumasi, Ghana.MethodsSwab samples collected from suspected COVID-19 patients were transported to the Zipline office by health workers. Information on the samples were sent to laboratory personnel located at KCCR through a WhatsApp platform to get them ready to receive the suspected COVID-19 samples while Zipline repackaged samples and transported them via drone. Time of take-off was reported as well as time of drop-off.ResultsA total of 2537 COVID-19 suspected samples were received via drone transport from 10 districts between April 2020 to June 2021 in 440 deliveries. Ejura-Sekyedumase District Health Directorate delivered the highest number of samples (765; 30%). The farthest district to use the drone was Pru East, located 270 km away from KCCR in Kumasi and 173 km to the Zipline office in Mampong. Here, significantly, it took on the average 39 minutes for drones to deliver samples compared to 117 minutes spent in transporting samples by road (pConclusionThe use of drones for sample transport during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced the travel time taken for samples to be transported by road to the testing site. This has enhanced innovative measures to fight the pandemic using technology.