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On Monday, G. Nausėda discussed the Covid-19 testing strategy with the members of the Council of Health Experts. Council members presented proposals to the president to improve the current Covid-19 testing strategy.
Offer new tests
Professor Edita Sužiedėlienė, Vice Chancellor of Vilnius University, pointed out that most molecular tests are carried out in Lithuania: more than 400 thousand tests were carried out per million inhabitants. tests.
“But as a pandemic develops and the number of infections increases, these molecular tests require qualified personnel, special sophisticated equipment, reagents, and are relatively expensive and take several hours. We are faced with the problem that diagnostic labs don’t work within 24 hours. such tests, how should they be done, “E. Sužiedėlienė told reporters in the presidency.
That is why a group of experts suggested to the president to apply slightly different texts in Lithuania, which would be cheaper and faster.
“Rapid antigen testing is a growing focus. Many countries and the European Commission recommend planning strategies for the development of rapid antigen tests and schemes on how they will be used to detect infections.
They last up to 15 minutes and do not require special equipment or highly qualified personnel. But their disadvantage is that their sensitivity does not reach the gold standard, they are the most suitable for detecting cases of active infection when the amount of virus in the sample is high ”, pointed out E. Sužiedėlienė.
The Commission of Experts recommends that Lithuania acquire such tests and test people who develop symptoms of Covid-19, as the tests are particularly sensitive when evaluating symptomatic cases.
For rapid antigen testing, as well as molecular testing (PCR), a sample from the nasopharynx is used.
See cautious optimism
The presidency also discussed the quantitative assessment of the development of the pandemic and found that the situation with Covid-19 in Lithuania remains difficult and the spread of the virus is high.
“It just came to our attention then. The peak of the pandemic is approaching. Of course, the air at the top of the hill is thin and the road is very narrow. Therefore, it is important that both the authorities and the public are stay focused and let the good signs continue for at least a few weeks, ”President Simonas Krėpšta’s adviser told reporters on Monday.
The Presidency also notes that there are quarantine restrictions.
“We are seeing a slowdown in the pandemic and that is a good sign. But to get closer to the normal situation, we have a lot to do. There is a long way to go before a normal situation. But the virus restrictions work and stop the spread. of the virus “, pointed out S. Krėpšta.
Recently, tens of thousands of samples have been analyzed daily in Lithuania, a number that is decreasing on weekends.
More than a million studies have been conducted on the coronavirus in the country since the pandemic began. According to the volume of tests per 100,000 inhabitants, Lithuania ranks fifth in the entire European Union.
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