Lessons from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing strategies in three lusophone countries

Abstract

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, uncoordinated national responses have been observed around the world which have contributed to the difficulties in controlling the spread of the virus. This lack of dialogue between nations reflects several key determinants including the lack of platforms for non-English speaking researchers and healthcare professionals to engage with critical matters in their native languages. Here, we demonstrate how setting up a dedicated forum for Portuguese-speaking professionals from Brazil, Mozambique and Portugal facilitated the comparison of testing strategies undertaken by those countries during 2020. This working group was established in response to an open workshop conducted in Portuguese in March 2020, in which renowned scientists from lusophone countries were invited to share the COVID-19 responses in their respective countries. To date, the group has convened to address actions, in turn identifying the opportunity to publish the different established approaches to testing strategies undertaken by their countries. This effort highlighted that the governments of those three countries took very different approaches, from case definition to type of test most commonly deployed. This piece emphasizes the need for international bodies to acknowledge the importance of creating forums which are more inclusive to non-speaking English professionals who are at the frontline of healthcare response in challenging settings such as low- and middle-income countries. Finally, fostering approaches like this could represent an efficient strategy to facilitate dialogue, building the necessary steps for a more coordinated response to future global threats.