[ad_1]
Thanks to the new antigen tests, which will soon begin to be used in Serbia, in just half an hour it will be known if someone is infected with the virus with great precision, up to 97 percent.
What is especially important, at the beginning of the disease, it will be possible to register the presence of the virus before the development of a serious clinical picture, which will help both patients and doctors. As we found out, Serbia will receive the first contingent of antigen tests from donations, and then we will import them.
Epidemiologist and member of the Crisis Team for the control of Covid 19 infections, prof. Dr. Branislav Tiodorović told “Blic” that antigen tests are performed from a throat and nose swab sample, three to five days after infection and the first symptom of the disease.
– Thanks to the antigen tests that we will use, we will be able to determine the presence of the virus in the body early, the results are very precise and are obtained in 30 minutes. This will make it much easier for all of us, firstly because it will be possible to determine if someone is infected before developing a more serious form of the disease, which will involve subsequent treatment, and on the other hand it is very important because we will be able to find contacts . virus. Unlike the PCR test, antigen tests are not only faster, more accurate, but also cheaper, explains Professor Tiodorović for “Blic”.
Unlike the tests that we already use IgM, IgG and PCR, the results will not only be faster but will detect an antigen that attacks the body and is very accurate, especially in the first three to five days after the onset of symptoms of the illness. The accuracy of rapid antigen tests is 96 to 97 percent due to their high sensitivity. Doctors explain that doctors in the non-covid system will benefit from these tests because they will be able to treat their patients without fear.
– There will be such tests throughout Serbia, no one will have to come to Belgrade to take the test. They will first be in institutes, covid dispensaries and at the Institute of Microbiology, where those suspected of being infected will be tested for free, said Professor Tiodorović.
Both the epidemiologist and a member of the Crisis Staff for the suppression of Covid 19 infection, Dr. Predrag Kon, explained that antigen testing has existed for a long time, but that it has now been examined, that is, validated the possibility of its application in our country.
– They are very reliable and detect the presence of antigen, that is, the virus itself. The same is taken from a swab, like PCR. The result can be obtained after just half an hour. This does not mean that the organization will be able to do it quickly in our country, but it will certainly accelerate the obtaining of a positive or negative result, explained Dr. Kon for “Prva” TV.
As the epidemiologist explained, there are specific groups of candidates who will undergo such tests.
– Especially for various situations in which we have carried out tests so far, when entering hospitals, in particularly vulnerable groups, in nursing homes, in all cases where there are indications. For example, in hospitals, where an employee is infected, his contacts are examined. This type of test is thought to be used at border crossings as well, but adequate logistics must be provided for that, explained Dr. Predrag Kon.
According to the World Health Organization, it is possible that current antibody tests will cross-react with other human coronaviruses, resulting in false positive results. Another thing that doesn’t go hand in hand with the accuracy of the existing tests is that asymptomatic people and those with mild symptoms may produce fewer antibodies to the virus than the sickest people. The antigen test, doctors say, will help determine the presence of the virus with great precision and certainty, making it easier to fight Covid 19.
Advantages of the new tests
- They detect the virus in just 30 minutes
- 97 percent accuracy
- Allow detection before developing a difficult image
- It gives the opportunity to discover all the contacts of the infected person in time
- They are cheaper than PCR tests
Loncar: We are preparing for the worst case scenario
Health Minister Zlatibor Lončar appealed to all citizens to report to the ambulance on time as soon as the first symptoms appear. As he said, the kovid hospitals in Batajnica and Krusevac are also being prepared, with 1,000 jobs each, in which more than 1,000 health and non-medical workers will work.
– We are preparing for the worst case, we are following what is happening in the region and in Europe, I think we have relaxed more than we should. Serbia still has a good result, but everything can change if the measures are not respected – said Loncar.
WHO’s Ivanuša: urgently limit meetings
The director of the World Health Organization Office in Serbia, Marijan Ivanuša, stated that new measures should be considered against the spread of the corona virus in Serbia, stating that the number of new patients is high and the situation is dire.
– Such epidemiological situation is in line with the trend in Europe and the northern hemisphere, which is generally worrying – Ivanuša told RTS.
Action, he says, is necessary.
– The deterioration must stop as soon as possible, because we see that the countries that did not do so now face great challenges – said Ivanuša.
He stated that Serbia has done a lot, that it has quickly changed the health system from normal to kovid, as well as that there are many measures in place, but that they are not carried out in the most optimal way and that there is room for improvement.
– We should think about new measures, we should limit the gathering of people, allow people who go to work to be safe, keep physical distance everywhere, masks, hand hygiene, tests of those with symptoms, quarantine for patients , as well as timely treatment – said Ivanuša.
He says that the PCR testing of people entering Serbia is not a decisive measure, but that the most important thing is to respect public health measures.
He also says that the new covid hospitals are of exceptional importance because people will need hospital treatment, but that the hospital cannot prevent the epidemic, which is prevented by public health measures.
Dr. Kisić: Stringent measures, if we don’t adhere to these
– We are preparing for the worst possible scenario. Predictions of more than a thousand are realistic if it continues at this rate. This logically tells us that we have more reservoirs and that we are threatened by more infected people, said the crisis staff member and the new minister in the Serbian government, Darija Kisić Tepavčević.
Commenting on the statement by his colleague, Professor Branislav Tiodorović, that a curfew will be introduced if more than 1,500 people are infected a day, he said that these are some arbitrary borders where measures would be expected to tighten.
– If we adhere to the measures, we would not need rigorous measures, because we do not comply with them, we need them. I can not specify the answer when there will be new measures – he pointed out.
It also says it won’t allow the virus to spread uncontrollably.
– About 730 people are in hospitals. The Arena has also started to receive … That does not mean that the capacities in the existing hospitals are full, and the main strategy of the WHO is to hospitalize only moderate and severe pneumonia – says Dr. Kisić.
She says that a nightmare is a situation where you can’t take care of all the patients.
– We see how the corona spreads explosively, the entire population is more resistant. We still don’t know anything about the duration of immunity. It seems that we are taking advantage of a place, he explains.
He says that throughout the world, including in our country, reinfections have been noticed, even for the third time.
– In summer, we behave more relaxed, it is human, but the virus is waiting for it – says the doctor.
[ad_2]
