[ad_1]
Corona test numbers are dropping due to these 6 hurdles
There are now enough corona tests available in Switzerland. But only half of the 70,000 tests are used. These are the reasons.
Test Corona at the drive-in in Yverdon-les-Bains (file image). Image: sda
The number of corona tests is decreasing in Switzerland. In just one week by 15 percent. So yesterday, the BAG experts made positive comments about the evolution of the number of cases. The first milestone has been reached with the current halving of the number of cases every two weeks, says the chairman of the Covid-19 Task Force, Martin Ackermann.
According to Chief Cantonal Doctor Rudolf Hauri, it would be desirable to have more people tested. “The testing capabilities have been expanded, but they are not being used enough. This can also be seen in the still high positivity rate of 20 percent, which points to many unrecognized cases, ”says Hauri. In fact, Federal Councilor Berset’s goal of 80,000 tests per day has almost been achieved. “The testing capacity is currently around 70,000 per day, PCR and rapid tests. There is enough evidence available, ”says Jonas Montani of the Federal Office of Public Health. Only half is used.
According to behavioral scientist Marc Höglinger, this has little to do with test and corona fatigue. He continuously analyzes the behavior of the population crown at the ZHAW University of Applied Sciences in Winterthur. The will to test has hardly changed. However, there are other influences on lower test numbers than individual attitude towards tests. Fewer tests are done because there are now fewer positive cases, and therefore fewer contacts that need to be evaluated. In addition, the number of people who are contacted by contact tracing and asked to take a test is also decreasing. Neither Hauri, Ackermann, nor Virginie Masserey, head of the Infection Control Section at FOPH, can say exactly why the test numbers are lower. However, there are already signs of potential obstacles.
Obstacle 1: Fear of isolation and quarantine
The fear of having to isolate or self-quarantine after a test prevents some from getting tested if they have a slight suspicion. The canton of Zug doctor Rudolf Hauri also admits it. Also the behavioral researcher Marc Höglinger from the University of Winterthur ZHAW. “That will certainly play a role for some who don’t have very clear symptoms. Because the decision to perform a test is also a decision to isolate until the test result is available. ”According to the behavioral scientist, this period of time should be as short as possible, even with rapid tests. “And maybe you should also consider whether the isolation between the test and the test result should really be mandatory for everyone. Because if you lead fewer people to be tested, you gain nothing, on the contrary. “
Obstacle 2: Only people with symptoms can get tested
In fact, according to the FOPH, people can only get tested if they have symptoms or if the doctor has expressly prescribed the test for an asymptomatic patient. Only then is the trial free. That annoys the president of the Swiss Association of Pharmacies, Fabian Vauchet, as he said in the noon newspaper of Radio SRF1. “We are in a lockdown with the federal government because we are not allowed to test clients without symptoms.” But the customer should be able to decide for himself. Also, there are employers that require a weekly crown test from their employees. That is not allowed with regulation, but it is a necessity of the economy, says Vauchet. And that would increase the number of tests and probably reduce the positivity rate as well.
Obstacle 3: Accessibility
Hauri is being asked that people in Bern be denied access to the testing center if they have a fever below 38 degrees, despite close contact with infected people. The chief of the canton’s doctors thinks this is wrong. The tests would also have to be done with mild symptoms, including temperatures below 38 degrees. Masserey emphasizes several times and emphatically that testing still needs to be done on all symptoms of the disease. An incentive for testing would be if the quarantine could be abandoned earlier in the event of a negative test. Koch and Kuster’s successor is cautious about it. This is not the time to take those risks.
Obstacle 4: rapid tests
Virginie Masserey views rapid tests primarily as a way to quickly find out who is infected and who is not. Therefore, they are especially suitable for sources of infection. “They can also be used in nursing homes and nursing homes.” This pilot project started this week in Basel-Stadt. In a nursing home and retiree, all staff are quickly screened every morning. Anyone who is negative can go to work in a retirement home. Four of the 30 employee tests were positive, the employees had no symptoms and would not have noticed the infection without the rapid test. In this nursing home, a quarter of the residents are already positive. If the two-week pilot project is successful, the Basel government will also carry out rapid tests in other nursing homes to increase safety.
This is how the coronavirus arrived in Switzerland: a chronology
Obstacle 5: Communication
Communication could be improved, admits Rudolf Hauri. Then perhaps it would be possible to encourage the medical profession, as well as pharmacies and testing centers to try a little more. “We must increasingly point out that it is not necessary to wait long to go to the test. And that the costs are on your account. Marc Höglinger looks back a bit more: “Switzerland did not expand its testing capabilities enough during the summer and in the autumn there were the well-known bottlenecks with increasing infections. Although this should be fixed in the meantime, the images of the queues in front of the testing centers, the stories of days of waiting for the test result, and the then unclear information about who can get tested will probably still have an effect. ” people with symptoms can now be tested for free. “But communication can certainly be done even better here.”
Obstacle 6: massive testing
When it comes to the use of massive testing, BAG’s Virgine Masserey is reluctant. To do this, you should use a quick test. “But these are not suitable for people without symptoms.” However, the BAG is closely monitoring those countries where massive testing is taking place.
