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The whole of Germany is watching his assessment: in the current podcast episode, virologist Christian Drosten spoke about the importance of rapid tests, especially in nursing homes.
Virologist Christian Drosten has highlighted the importance of rapid corona tests in the winter. Now we must move forward with so-called antigen tests, the virologist from the Berlin Charité said on Tuesday on NDR’s podcast “The Coronavirus Update.” In the event of a wave of infections in winter, these tests will be needed. These are not perfect. Despite compromising reliability, Drosten pointed to advantages such as speed and on-site availability.
Tests can “do a lot of good” in nursing homes
What good is a very sensitive PCR test if you have to wait three or four days to get the result due to an overloaded laboratory, the expert asked. For example, at the front door of a nursing home, such tests could do “an incredible amount of good,” Drosten said with a view to visiting the elderly. However, it is important not to use nonsensical tests because it carries a responsibility: in the case of an infection that is not reported, for example in a nursing home, otherwise an outbreak could occur with corresponding subsequent mortality. With the tests, it is now convenient to clarify who is authorized to perform them.
Numerous tests of this type are currently being developed and some are already available. Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche has announced that it will launch an antigen test in September that, according to the manufacturer, detects an infection with great precision.
The numbers for these tests sounded good, Matthias Orth, chief physician at the Institute for Laboratory Medicine at the Marienhospital in Stuttgart, said recently. However, in principle, these rapid tests should be evaluated with caution. “An antigen test is never as accurate as a PCR test.” Rapid tests are a useful addition in some areas, but they cannot replace PCR tests.
