Corona Rapid Tests for Schools in Eight Federal States Starting Monday – Coronavirus Vienna

Mobile testers have been used in Lower Austria, Tyrol and Carinthia since the end of the autumn holidays to clear up suspected Covid-19 cases in schools with the help of antigen tests. The program will be rolled out to eight federal states on Monday. Vienna continues to rely on a local testing strategy with gurgling tests in schools. The future of the “Cluster Buster Bus” is open, with which rapid tests have been carried out in schools since the end of September.

Mobile testers in eight federal states (they are school or contract doctors who are on the road on behalf of the Ministry of Education) come to the school in suspected cases and take a nasopharyngeal swab. No laboratory is required to evaluate the antigen tests used, the result is available after a few minutes. This should quickly clarify whether a student or school employee (teacher, administrative staff) is actually infected with suspicious symptoms. Schoolchildren, teachers and parents should save the previously long waiting time for tests and test results, emphasizes the Ministry of Education. According to the department, around 50,000 tests have already been delivered to the school’s doctors and another 300,000 will be distributed in the coming weeks.

Mobile teams have been in action in Vienna since September to clear up suspicious cases with evidence of gurgling. The results of the evaluation by the PCR method are available 24 to 48 hours after the collection of the sample. In November, specially trained bicycle couriers from Veloce took on the task of assisting schools with gargle testing if necessary. Meanwhile, schools have been equipped with 50,000 gargle test kits so that students and teachers can take a sample themselves. This is then delivered to the laboratory by courier bike and evaluated there. Test kits are delivered continuously as needed.

Gargling is also possible without specialized personnel, and if the antigen test is positive, you still have to retest with a PCR test, explains the strategy in the office of Health Councilor Peter Hacker (SPÖ) to the APA. Meanwhile, as part of the critical infrastructure, teachers can also get tested on the third test lane at the Austria Center (ACV) in Donaustadt, where the antigen test result is available after just 20 minutes.

It is unclear whether the “Cluster Buster Bus”, which has been in use since late September and has a mobile laboratory on board, will continue to serve schools with suspected or confirmed cases. The results of the LAMP (Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification) test used for this are available after 30 minutes. During the lockdown, the bus was temporarily not used. It is not yet clear whether he will return to schools in the future.

The RT-LAMP method, which is used in a pilot project of the ministry in the district of Mödling (Lower Austria), is based on the same technology. The mobile test bus travels to those places where there is already a positive case to screen the contact persons. The gargle water sample is tested in the mobile bus lab in front of the school, and the result is there after about an hour. Meanwhile, Lower Austria has included mobile test buses in its rapid test concept.

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