A PCR test is so sensitive that it can show positive test results for weeks or months after someone is no longer infectious, which have caused unnecessary isolations and quarantines (when people test positive after they are no longer infectious) and can unnecessarily impact travel plans for long periods of time. A PCR test can take 1-3 days to get results, which allows transmission to occur while waiting for results and, for travel, misses the time frame window. In the U.S., people have relied on PCR testing for most of this pandemic, but for limiting transmission in daily life and for travel, a point of care rapid test is almost always the better tool for a few reasons. That is especially important as we now have two effective anti-COVID-19 pills that need to be taken with a few days of the onset of symptoms. In the U.S., these companies allow rapid home-tests to become crucial tools in this pandemic because the test results can be reliably reported to the relevant public health departments and enable downstream options including sequencing of variants and, importantly, can enable fast initiation anti-viral treatment (test-to-treat) without entering a hospital or laboratory. Read More: Let’s Not Be Fatalistic About Omicron. Companies like eMed (where I am the new Chief Science Officer) and Azova are two digital health platforms where a certified proctor verifies who is taking the test and validates the test results over a web connected device then sends the certified digital results directly to the individual and, when needed, the airline. can use a telehealth proctored test with a test kit the traveler picks up before leaving the US, and can use from anywhere in the world. It could be an in-person point-of-care test in the country of origin at a clinic or pharmacy, as long as it comes with a verified laboratory report that authenticates both the user identity and the negative result. This test authentication can be accomplished in a couple of different ways. Instead, there will be a requirement for test authentication to verify the test-taker’s identity and test results. Second, people shouldn’t just use any self-test at home or in their hotel by themselves. should rely on rapid antigen tests because the test results are almost immediate, versus the 1-3 days that laboratory PCR tests take to get results.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |