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Meanwhile, individual health institutions have used rapid antigen tests for several months: they screen patients admitted to hospitals and run paid preventive tests.
“Antigen tests are used by those institutions that bought them on their own,” said Lukas Vosylius, representative of the Ministry of Health.
The National Laboratory said Thursday it had signed a contract for 300,000. acquisition of rapid COVID-19 antigen tests. The contract was concluded with the three-part company Biovita, which won the public procurement, the value of all procurement pieces is 552 thousand. euros.
NVSPL expects the first batch of rapid antigen tests to arrive in the lab in late February.
The procedure for the use of antigen tests was legalized in early December last year.
One of the research institutions in the country since then is the Santara Clinic of the Vilnius University Hospital.
According to Linas Svetikas, head of the Admissions and Emergencies Department at the hospital’s Center for Infectious Diseases, antigen tests are used to screen incoming patients whose typical COVID-19 symptoms have been present no more than five days ago.
“Rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen test results allow for more efficient management of patient flows, especially in areas with the highest influx of COVID-19 patients,” said the doctor.
According to L. Svetik, the use of antigen tests is currently decreasing due to the slower spread of the infection.
“There were about 50 tests a day during the peak of the spread of the infection,” he explained.
These tests are also used by private clinics for COVID-19 testing. The average cost of a test ranges between 20 and 30 euros.
InMedica CEO Laura Penikienė told BNS that interest in these tests is not high.
“While these tests are faster and cheaper, they are not yet officially recognized, for example for travel. In the first months of this year, we performed only about 15 percent of antigen tests compared to the total number of COVID-19 tests performed, ”he said.
According to a private clinic, an average of 30-30 antigen tests are performed per day.
He also points out that overall the need for testing is declining a lot these days.
“It has already fallen very sharply practically since the second week of January. Today, tests are most often carried out only by travelers, whose number has increased significantly, or for other reasons, such as before operations, medical rehabilitation, ”said L. Penikienė.
He stated that the reduced volume of tests was related not only to the suppression of the pandemic in the country, but also to the apathy and negativity of patients in terms of tests.
“If you get sick easily and don’t need medical help, it often goes undetected,” he said.
Among other things, Lithuania is preparing to accept 390 thousand LTL donated by the European Commission (EC). Rapid COVID-19 antigen tests.
The government approved this Wednesday the proposal of the Ministry of Health that the donation agreement with the EC be signed by the National Laboratory.
Previously, SAM said it was scheduled to introduce donated antigen testing in the first quarter of this year.
Lithuania also intends to purchase a further 800,000 LTL through procurement organized by the Commission. Such evidence is tentatively expected to reach the country in a month and a half.
For rapid antigen testing, as well as molecular testing (PCR), a sample from the nasopharynx is used.
This testing method is cheaper, allows people to be tested faster, and does not require highly qualified personnel to perform the tests.
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