Coronavirus rapid  test

What is a rapid  coronavirus test?

The rapid test is a disposable plastic device with a built-in test strip with several reagents on it. No sophisticated equipment is required for the test. You need to fill out an application form at www.cdl.kz. Blood from the finger is taken for the test. All instruments are sterile and disposable. The result can be obtained within 15 minutes. The procedure is as follows.

Can a diagnosis be made with a rapid  test?

The principle of the test is based on the detection of IgG/IgM antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (COVID-19) in the blood. IgM class antibodies are produced in the first 7-10 days infection contamination . They indicate the acute stage of the disease. Then, 2-3 weeks infection contamination , IgG class antibodies are produced, which indicate the transferred infection and the formed immune response. Schematically, the stages of antibody form ation look like this.

IMPORTANT: The rapid test does not diagnose coronavirus infection, as it does not detect the virus in the body, but only evaluates the immune system response.

For whom is the test indicated?

First of all, medical workers of ambulance services, polyclinics, hospitals will be tested where patients with suspected coronavirus infection apply and are admitted. Tests will also be performed on patients from risk groups: people with chronic diseases of cardiovascular, respiratory system and the elderly.

To streamline the test , a website with a special application form will be organized, where patients will enter their data. After that, epidemiologists of the Ministry of Health will select those patients for whom the test is shown in the first place and invite them to take the test.

The rapid test is also indicated for those who had symptoms of acute respiratory illness (flu) or pneumonia between February and March 2020.

Coronavirus tests will take place at strictly designated places for biomaterial sampling where no other tests will be accepted. Patients selected at _____ will wait outside, keeping a distance of 1.5-2 meters between each other, and will be invited into the room one by one. The streams of incoming and outgoing patients will be separated. A mandatory condition for the test is that the patient has a mask.

IMPORTANT: the test is not used for persons with acute respiratory infection (fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, etc.), because IgM antibodies begin to be produced later than the first symptoms appear and the result may be negative.

What can the results of an rapid test look like?

What should I do if the rapid test is positive?

There are 2 possibilities:

If positive IgM class antibodies are found (or both antibody classes are positive IgM and IgG), the infection contamination occurred about 7-14 days ago. The patient should wear a mask, self-isolate, and call 103 for an ambulance to decide whether to be hospitalized.

If positive IgG antibodies are detected, it means that the patient has had previous contact with coronavirus or has had an immune response to the infection. At present, there is no clear data on whether a persistent immunity is formed and how long it is possible to carry the virus, so if such a result is obtained, it is necessary to continue compliance with anti-epidemic measures and PCR test  of the nasal pharynx  swab.

What to do if the test is negative?

A negative test can be in 2 cases:

There is no infection;

Infection has occurred recently, and antibodies have not yet had time to form. Such carriage of the virus can be dangerous to others, so if the patient is quarantined, he/she should remain in isolation and follow all preventive measures. At the end of quarantine, the patient should be retested to definitively rule out infection.

IMPORTANT: The reliability of rapid  tests does not exceed 90%, so up to 10% of cases may turn out to be both false positives and false negatives. The main method of confirming the diagnosis is PCR of nasal pharynx  swab with detection of coronavirus RNA.