Only $ 5 … a “wonderful” decision regarding the Corona Rapid Test

The World Health Organization announced on Monday what it described as “good news,” following its agreement with prominent partners on a plan to provide 120 million rapid diagnostic tests for coronavirus, to help income countries. means and limited to closing the test gap between them and the richest countries, although the plan is not funded. Totally still.

The rapid diagnostic tests, which cost $ 5 per test, depend on the triggers of the immune response, and the World Health Organization authorized them for use in emergencies last week.

The program to implement them requires an initial $ 600 million and begins next month to better reach hard-to-reach areas for PCR tests that are often used in wealthier countries.

Rapid tests look for triggers for an immune response or proteins on the surface of the virus. They are generally considered less accurate, but much faster, than amino acid analyzes such as BCR, and the latter tests require treatment with laboratory equipment and specialized chemicals, which generally take several days to obtain results.

The Director General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, praised the program as “good news” in the battle against Covid-19, according to the “Associated Press.”

“These tests provide reliable results in about 15 to 30 minutes, instead of hours or days, with lower prices and less complicated equipment. This will allow the expansion of the exam, especially in difficult-to-access areas that do not have adequate laboratories and do not they have them, “he said. Sufficient trained health personnel to perform BCR exams.

“We have an agreement, we have a financing seed, and now we need full financing to buy these tests,” he added, without clarifying.

For her part, Dr. Katharina Boim, executive director of a non-profit organization called the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, is expanding to 20 countries in Africa and will be supported by groups such as the Clinton Health Initiative. She added that diagnostic tests will be provided through the two companies, “Biosensor” and “Abbott.”

This would provide an initial $ 1 million from the company’s COVID-19 response mechanism, said Peter Sands, chief executive of the Global Fund, an association that works to end pandemics.

He added that the deployment of rapid diagnostic tests would be an “important step” to help contain and combat the virus.

Many rich countries have also faced problems publishing accurate tests, and the exam itself is not easy, as countries like France and the United States faced heavy overcrowding and many problems in testing, and quick checks in Great Britain and Spain weren’t accurate.

But rolling out rapid checks in poorer countries is aimed at helping medical teams know where the virus is spreading, in hopes of following up with containment and taking other steps to control it.

Sands said that high-income countries currently perform 292 checks per day per 100,000 inhabitants, while low-income countries perform 14 checks per day per 100,000 inhabitants.

He added that 120 million tests would represent a “big increase” in testing capacity, but still represents a small percentage of what is required in those countries.