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Rapid COVID-19 Tests Will Change the Game for Africa

October 22, 2020 • 2:20 pm CDT
(Coronavirus Today)

The new, World Health Organization (WHO) approved antigen-based rapid diagnostic tests for the novel SARS-COV-2 coronavirus in Africa will significantly boost testing capacity and marks a game-changer in the continent’s fight against COVID-19, stated the WHO on October 22, 2020.

Rapid antigen tests are an addition to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, not a replacement for them. They are more reliable in patients who are symptomatic, with a high viral load, or a lot of coronavirus in their upper respiratory tract.

Most African countries conduct polymerase chain reaction or PCR tests, the gold standard, which require laboratories, reagents, and experts, limiting COVID-19 testing mostly to large cities. People can wait from 48 hours to more than 10-days for results as they are sent for laboratory verification.

The new rapid tests are easy to use, cheaper than PCR tests, and provide the results in less than 30-minutes, enabling countries to decentralize testing, added the WHO.

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