Antigen screening tests have become a common practice prior to social events and celebrations. Pressure on pharmacies to limit the number of tests they can sell to each individual customer. I’m asking “Saint Antibody” to protect me from seeing the dreaded red line. When the test is negative, it is possible to relax preventative measures at lunches, dinners and pre-dinner drinks, as well as all other social gatherings. Antigen testing is a hot topic right now, but experts aren’t all that sure about it. These people appreciate their concern for not infecting others, but they worry about the spread of contagions under the false sense of security provided by a negative result in a test.
A microbiologist at the Hospital Can Misses in Ibiza explains that “the main indication of an antigen test is the same as when they first appeared: they are used to detect positives in people with symptoms.” He continues: “When they are most reliable is when the viral load is high. Even if there is an infection, they can give a negative result if it is low”. During the first five or seven days of infection, a person’s viral load is higher, according to this health care professional. “There are many reasons to conduct an antigen test”, he asserts.
Antigen screening tests: positive and negative aspects.
Segura cites both the benefits and drawbacks of this test, noting that “the lack of sense of security that gives a negative result has played an important role in the pandemic.” According to the microbiologist, people who are infected but have no symptoms but still have a low viral load are at risk of the test not returning a positive result because of this. Antigen tests are useful, as long as people remember that a negative result does not rule out infection and take preventive measures regardless of the results. “And they can infect,” says the expert who would qualify the general public’s use of antigen tests these days. PCR, “a more sensitive technique, that detects a spectrum of low viral loads that the antigen test would not detect,” is used in the health system when there is a suspicion of infection.
You can believe a positive result, even if you don’t have any symptoms, but a negative result doesn’t mean that you aren’t infected or that you aren’t contagious; it just means that the viral load isn’t high enough to be detected by the test. Segura is adamant that taking such a test with “blind faith” is a mistake. This precautionary measure must be followed even if the results of the covid test are negative, he emphasizes. If the test is positive, the patient should “self-isolate and communicate it to the health authorities”.
The bands for sampling and controlling
Detecting covid infection with this type of antigen screening test requires careful consideration of two issues, according to the microbiologist. Make sure they’re purchased through “official channels,” such as pharmacies, to ensure that they’ve passed health inspections. According to him, “they must bear the CE symbol and four-digit number.” Take the sample and read the results thoroughly, as well, to ensure accuracy. Keep in mind that the test “is annoying” and that a reliable sample requires “a lot of rubbing” with the swab.
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