PILOT MASS RAPID ANTIGEN TESTING FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF A COVID-19 INFECTION IN SLOVAKIA

Abstract

The author explains pilot testing for Covid-19 infection in Slovakia using rapid antigen tests. Mass testing campaigns are an alternative way to identify infectious individuals and allow targeting of interventions without much added burden to those uninfectious. However, they have been limited until recently by the dependence on Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for the diagnosis of a SARS-CoV-2 infection. While laboratory capacities have been upscaled in record time, PCR testing remains expensive and can seldom achieve a turnaround time of less than one day. In comparison, recently developed rapid antigen tests are cheap and can be quickly produced in large quantities offering results on site in 15-30 mins without the need for a laboratory. They are less sensitive in detecting infections with low viral load but have been found to detect the vast majority of infectious infections, and hence may make mass testing a viable part of the portfolio of nonpharmaceutical interventions.