Seven months have passed considering that Indonesia revealed its very first COVID-19 case with the crisis continuing unabated as screening stays insufficient.
Though people in the nation are now familiar with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quick antibody tests, and just recently started to learn about quick antigen tests, numerous are still puzzled about the functions of each test and when they must be used.
Eijkman Institute deputy director for basic research Herawati Sudoyo stated that PCR tests remained “the gold requirement” for dealing with COVID-19 and the federal government should continue its efforts to make the test accessible for all.
” PCR tests are the key to managing COVID-19 since they are intended not just at supplying a diagnosis however likewise utilized for contact tracing,” she stated.
Hera stated anybody who revealed scientific symptoms of COVID-19 and who had reached a COVID-19 patient need to be swab tested.
” If we stay at house but there is one family member, state, the dad, who works at the office, and there is an individual in the office who evaluated positive for COVID-19, it’s highly suggested that everyone who lives in that home go through a PCR test,” she said throughout The Jakarta Post ' s Instagram Live session Jakpost Special “Everything About COVID-19 Testing” on Friday.
The other popular technique, the quick antibody test, Herawati stated, was best used for surveillance purposes, or to understand the transmission characteristics of the virus, although it is not suitable for making a medical diagnosis.
For that reason, Herawati stated that making use of quick antibody tests as a requirement for travel or any other situation, such as for pregnant ladies who were in labor, was inexpedient and need to be stopped.
” The quick antibody test does not take a look at the infection however the anti-virus compound created by the human body. So when people take this test and get a favorable result, that indicates they have been infected with the infection however we do not understand when. To understand whether the virus is still active in the body or not, they need to take the PCR test,” she said.
Nevertheless, Indonesia’s PCR testing rate stays low regardless of the nation operating 263 laboratories, with 0.10 tests per 1,000 individuals over a seven-day average, due to scarcity of well-trained workers, provided the complexity of the PCR screening procedure.
Herawati stated the rapid antigen test might fill the space but just for emergency functions in places where PCR labs did not exist. The rapid antigen test uses only a paper strip containing coronavirus antibodies that respond when touching the infection’ spike protein.
” But it’s not that basic,” stated Herawati. “Despite the fact that it is more accurate than the antibody test, with 100 percent specificity [will not cause cross reaction] and 97 percent level of sensitivity, along with faster, less expensive and not needing advanced devices just like PCR test, it still needs trained workers to perform the test securely as samples are taken through nasal swab”. (aly)
Editor’s note: This short article becomes part of a public project by the COVID-19 job force to raise individuals’s awareness about the pandemic.