The coronavirus disease 2019 COVID-19 test kits are flying off from every biotechnology and medical technology firm around the globe. It happens becuase the countries scramble to screen everyone for possible infection of positive results.
There are two types of commonly COVID-19 test kits. They are real-time reverse-transcript polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the fast antibody diagnostic tests (RDT).
In Cebu, attention and scrutiny were cast on the latter particularly when the ‘strategized group testing’ began on May 6. It took place in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu.
Rapid test kit will help the patients to test them all.
The confusion surrounding the RDT labels used for the Balik Buhay Project (PBB). It is the name of the strategized study. Eventually, it cleared up after they exposed to the public on Monday, May 18.
Initially, it dismissed for delivering misleading findings by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, the RDTs are in a green-lighted to act as ‘conduits’ to the RT-PCR gold standard.
On 14 May, the Malacañang also confirmed that local authorities would use their funds to obtain these unique diagnostic resources.
Nonetheless, in compliance with the recommendations of DOH, swab samples will be as the result from people who have tested positive.
It goes for the antibodies before they can be formally counted in the country’s COVID-19 cases.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease which separate as a new strain of coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
World Health Organization is working closely with the Health Department to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.
RDT vs RT-PCR
RT-PCR or the ‘gold standard’ for detecting COVID-19 infection. Because it decides by oral and nasal swab samples whether a person has contracted SARS-CoV-2, the COVID-19 that causes the virus as the infectious disease.
RDTs, on the other hand, usually use the ‘colloidal gold method’ which helps health experts identify if antibodies are present in blood samples extracted for examination. Therefore, medical professional will work hard for it.
Antibodies occur either during infection (IgM), or after recovery (IgG) or igm and igg, according to DOH in Central Visayas.
Hence, rapid test kit for Covid-19 can curfew the spread of the coronavirus and aims to point of care test.
