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The Portuguese Red Cross (CVP) has proposed to distribute a free shipment of rapid diagnostic tests for Covid-19 for use in schools and homes, but the Government has not yet ruled on the proposal, reveals this Friday the Quick. According to the same newspaper, CVP received international funding to acquire up to half a million rapid tests, capable of diagnosing the infection by the new coronavirus in just 15 minutes. These tests have a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 99% and have recently reached the Portuguese market.
CVP President Francisco George explains to the Quick that “through an articulation protocol with the health authorities, it would be possible to initiate diagnoses in September.” “This is the solution to cut the transmission chains and change the paradigm of public health intervention,” he guarantees, revealing that on Saturday he made a first informal proposal with the Minister of Health, which remained without a response. Francisco George reveals that he proposed again the distribution of rapid tests during the meeting in Infarmed this week, and that the prime minister recognized that it would be “an opportunity for schools”. TO QuickAntónio Costa’s office only said that “the proposal is still under study.”
Francisco George assures that these tests “have nothing to do with the first [análises] that came from China ”and highlights that they were accepted by Infarmed last week.
Experts heard by the same newspaper agree that, until a vaccine against covid-19 appears, this is the best strategy, allowing “simple, quick and cheap” tests to be carried out, and they question the reason why the Government has not yet accepted the proposal. In addition, they highlight that the technique allows the detection of infected people in a few minutes (preventing the virus from continuing to spread), allowing society to approach almost normal functioning.
These rapid tests also use the swab to detect antigen on the surface of the virus, requiring training of the technicians who will perform them, so CVP is devising a strategy to provide training and will also provide a support line to answer questions.
Two of the main test manufacturers, Roche and Abbott, guarantee that a second confirmation of the result is not necessary and the head of CVP’s Special Covid-19 Testing Program points out that the rapid tests already carried out by the organization show that the technique is effective. “We already analyzed 100 samples in parallel, doing the rapid test and the PCR, and the agreement was complete. We have uses in homes, in Valença and Évora, and we managed to control the situation in one afternoon, ”he says.
According to the Quick, the tests are now reaching the Portuguese market at a unit price between five and ten euros and the replacement of the swab with a saliva sample is already being studied. CVP will also sell the tests to private institutions at a cost of € 20, a value that includes the nursing services necessary to collect the sample.
