Despite tremendous progress, millions of people still lack the right diagnostics technologies and tools to combat health challenges. Research and development addresses this by translating an idea or concept into diagnostic tools.

It took just 64 days for the first automated PCR tests and 236 days for the first rapid tests to be approved for emergency use.

Ensuring that the developed diagnostic (IVDs) tools and technologies emerging from the R&D phase are safe, accurate, and of good quality and performance for detecting SARS-CoV-2 is critical to ensuring their effective use to achieve public health objectives.

Since 2020, WHO has routinely updated COVID-19 testing guidelines and recommendations for 194 member states.

Once quality-assured products are available, and countries have policies in place to deploy diagnostic technologies and tools, products should be made available for purchase. Products are manufactured or produced, and the volume or quantity of supply linked to global and country requirements. 

Per year, 314 million rapid antigen tests and 840 million self-tests are now available for low- and middle-income countries.

As tests are made available by manufacturers, strong procurement systems and supply chains ensure that the right tools are deployed to the right place at the right time. Strong procurement and supply management systems preserve the quality and availability of products from manufacturers to countries in need.

Between 2020 and the first quarter of 2023, more than 193 million tests have been procured for 182 countries in need via the Diagnostics Pillar.

As diagnostic tools become available, advocacy and awareness efforts are needed to ensure that they are used. Diagnostics advocacy enables decision makers to develop public health strategies and empowers individuals in seeking care.

So far, 1,267 communities across 22 countries are engaged in raising public awareness and demand for COVID-19 testing, treatment and vaccination.

Once quality-assured tools are available to a country, this phase ensures they are introduced and integrated into that country’s health systems. Scaling up and sustaining the use of diagnostics requires decentralized testing, training in healthcare work, strengthening laboratory systems and integrating COVID-19 testing with testing for other diseases.

Since 2020, the Diagnostics Pillar has supported implementation projects in 50 countries and trained more than 77,000 healthcare workers.