You can purchase the tests discussed below from medmesafe, for more information click here.
Previously in our blog we have explained the differences between the different types of Covid-19 tests and the differences between flu symptoms and Covid-19 In both posts we visualised terms such as antibodies, serological tests, PCR tests, rapid antigen tests and much more useful information related to Covid-19, but today we want to explain in more detail how the rapid antigen test works and what is the advantage recently discovered by healthcare workers in their fight against the pandemic.
To talk about the rapid antigen test we first have to define it, what its advantages are and why it now looks like a very helpful tool in the detection of Covid-19. The Digital newspaper “65 y más”, in their article “Antigen test: how this test that detects coronavirus in 15 minutes works” explains that this test is used to diagnose Covid-19 through the detection of structural particles of the virus in the respiratory sample The extraction process is the same as the PCR test but the result time is drastically reduced, as it is obtained in 15 minutes.
They also explain the sensitivity of the test and the ideal time frame in which it should be applied: “it has a high sensitivity in the first days of infection. Specifically, the sensitivity in the first days of infection (0-3 days) is 100% and from 4-7 days 90% This allows rapid and urgent diagnosis of patients with symptoms or who have had close contact with another person diagnosed positive for the virus”.
According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the test works as follows: “A healthcare worker takes a swab from the patient’s nose and places the sample on a test card with a reagent. After waiting 15 minutes, the results can be read directly from the test card. One line indicates a negative result; two lines indicate a positive result.”
In conclusion, so far there is no single test to know our health status in the face of the virus, but depending on the stage we are in and the purpose of the test, there will be a range of options such as PCR test, rapid antigen test, serological tests, among others; so that every day we can further reduce the time of delivery of results and we can reach a methodology that allows us to recover what we knew as normality before the pandemic.
At medmesafe we have access to rapid antigen tests that are CE marked and validated by the HAS (French High Authority of Health), which recommends these tests in French pharmacies. If you are a health professional and would like more information you can write to us via this form.
Clément Destoumieux
PRESENT: + 20 years in complex legal and IT projects in France, the UK and Spain Expert in BioExpert exclusive network of experts in the sectors of life science and investment. Startups coordinator of ANIS (Spanish Association of Health Journalists) Lider ehealth in Asociación Española de Start up Active member of ASEBIO (Leading Spanish Biotech Association) PAST: Sociedad Española Informática de la Salud MBA in Ecole Des Mines – Nantes Master Degree in Ipag Business School in Paris