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At the moment, the coronavirus situation in Germany appears relaxed. In the current episode of the NDR podcast “Coronavirus Update”, virologist Christian Drosten from the Berlin Charité says that there are currently few infections. However, he cautions that this will not necessarily last long. “We just have to look at neighboring countries,” says Drosten.
In the podcast, the doctor also talks about a possible element of the corona measures in the coming winter: the so-called antigen tests. These tests can be performed much faster and easier than the PCR tests previously used for coronavirus diagnosis. A test strip, to which a sample is applied from the nasopharynx, for example, can show a positive or negative result within a few minutes.
Test where they can do a lot of good
According to Drosten, tests look good on validation, that is, on exam. Now it comes down to regulatory issues, where you have to find a “good compromise” between legal compliance and enforceability in order for these tests to get where they are needed. “For example, at the front door of the nursing home, where great good can be done,” says the virologist. Because with a reliable rapid coronavirus test, older people could be visited by their family and friends without worrying about a possible infection.
“It also has to be that we don’t use meaningless tests, because there is a responsibility attached to it,” says Drosten. Because in the example described, a false negative result can lead to a coronavirus outbreak in the nursing home some time later, with deaths. “And that’s why it has to be a good compromise between reliability and regulatory reliability and rapid progress.” According to Drosten, politics and industry are “productive at what they do.”
Drosten makes it clear: Validating this antigen test against current criteria as a home test before the winter wave of the pandemic is over will not work. Because the effort for the necessary studies is too great because the manufacturers have to show that the test, as Drosten says “very, very casually”, is foolproof, so that even ordinary people can handle it well. The observations in use that can prove this take too long. From Drosten’s point of view, a compromise could be that the test should be performed by medical specialists, that is, not as a home test for everyone.
However, the question arises of how to define medical professionals. If, for example, a theater offers visitors an audition before a performance, would it have to hire a laboratory doctor, a medical-technical employee, or would it be enough for one employee to complete a course? From his point of view, these issues should urgently be discussed in politics.
