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– We will most likely start using the rapid test in hospital care. Then it is the emergency services and the infection that are first out, says Anne-Katrine Pesola, a specialist in clinical microbiology in the region.
The Skåne region has over a period of time conducted its own rapid test evaluations comparing patient samples with so-called standard pcr tests, and according to Anne-Katrine, Pesola performed well. A quick test can provide responses in about a quarter instead of up to 24 hours for pcr tests. The rapid test is also significantly cheaper.
Exactly like The tests will be used in Skåne, an expert group that is being developed, but potential areas of use are rapid search for infected people in medical care and in infection tracking and outbreak investigations.
– These tests will not be able to replace the pcr tests but will be a complement to the diagnoses.
The weakness of rapid tests, according to evaluations from the region, is that it cannot be ruled out that a person with symptoms who receives a negative response is not a carrier of the virus. However, the test succeeds in catching infected people without symptoms and thus can prevent further spread of the infection.
– If you have a large amount of virus, which means it is contagious, this test detects it.
Rapid tests have long been used in some other countries, and Karin Tegmark Wisell from the Swedish Public Health Agency previously told Ekot that the reason for the delay in Sweden is that they are not as reliable. But today, the authority is expected to draw up a new rapid test guide and then, according to Anne-Katrine Pesola, they will also be approved for infection control notification, that is, a positive response to a rapid test is enough to confirm a infected person.
Rapid tests are performed by healthcare professionals using a sample from the posterior pharynx through the nose, so they are not suitable as self-assessments. But Anne-Katrine Pesola does not rule out that at a later stage they can also be used for sampling by the public.
– It is very possible, but it is something that we must evaluate now.
