As the country grapples to contain the coronavirus, opportunists are taking the crisis as a gold-paved pathway to fortune, even if it comes at the cost of human lives.

Some pharmacies and individuals are illegally selling unapproved and mostly faulty Covid-19 rapid test kits for prices ranging from US$35 to US$55 per unit.

A box containing 25 test kits costs around US$900.

The cost also includes testing services.

Daring traders are marketing their products and services on social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp.

But the more cautious ones are making use of word of mouth.

Government has outlawed the private sale of test kits and testing of suspected Covid-19 cases outside prescribed medical facilities.

This was after it emerged that most of the rapid test kits on sale did not comply with Ministry of Health and Child Care and World Health Organisation (WHO) specifications and protocols.

Health authorities argue the kits often produce erroneous results.

It is a concern that has been flagged worldwide, including in the United States of America.

But the ban fell on deaf ears!

Investigations by The Sunday Mail Society reveal the illegal trade is rife.

The dealers are capitalising on non-availability of mass testing in registered healthcare facilities with approved Covid-19 testing kits.

However, the situation is expected to improve after Government recently decentralised testing as part of concerted efforts to ramp up the exercise.

Overall, authorities plan to test 1 000 samples of suspected Covid-19 cases per day following last week’s delivery of missing reagents from the Jack Ma Foundation, which recently donated 20 000 test kits.

Also, they received 3 000 rapid test kits, which have since been deployed to provinces. Additional kits were also received from WHO and the Africa Centre for Disease Control.

Illegal traders have easily won clients as they are alleged to be working in cahoots with well-placed health personnel.

They also deceive potential clients by claiming to diagnose, treat, cure and even prevent Covid-19.

The test kits give results in just 15 minutes.

Conversely, Government is using a testing protocol referred to as polymerase (PCR) chain reaction methods, which takes at least five hours to get results.