• Live - all information on the epidemic
  • Tests More than 600 toilets in Madrid have tested positive
  • Podcast: What is teleworking like with children?

Rapid tests to speed up the detection of the coronavirus in suspected cases have already begun to be distributed. This has been confirmed by the director of the Center for Health Alerts and Emergencies of the Ministry of Health, Fernando Simón, and several hospital sources consulted by this means, which indicate that its use will be prioritized in urgent situations, such as health care workers pending reinstatement after a discharge due to contagion.

What do rapid tests consist of?

Unlike the tests done so far, the first rapid tests to be used detect antigens; that is, they detect the presence of the pathogen through parts of the virus, such as certain proteins, explains Rafael Cantón, head of the Microbiology service at the Ramón y Cajal University Hospital in Madrid.

What is the difference with PCR?

Until now, the tests that were done were the so-called RT-PCR or polymerase chain reaction tests. These tests, explains José Ramos Vivas, head of the Cell Microbiology laboratory at the Valdecilla Idival Health Research Institute, "detect the nucleic acid RNA of the virus in the patient's sample. If there is RNA, it is most likely that the virus is also there", explains the specialist, who adds that, to carry out this test "a special apparatus called thermocycling is needed". PCR requires at least two to three hours to have reliable results. Instead, new rapid tests can yield results in a few minutes.

Can they give false negatives?

According to Cantón, the tests to be performed can be compared to the pregnancy tests, with colored bands that show results. "The sensitivity and specificity is less than that of PCR," he explains. "The positive results will not have to be confirmed, but there may be doubtful cases, because perhaps the viral load is low. In these cases, the test will have to be repeated," he points out.

Which people will have priority?

As Simón has explained, the main objective is "to solve the care overload". But, in addition, an attempt will be made to attend to the most urgent needs "like the health professionals who are awaiting the test to be able to return to their jobs," Cantón agrees. Likewise, another group that could especially benefit from the rapid tests are people who are in nursing homes or members of the state security forces and bodies, he adds.

What other tests may be necessary?

Perhaps not at this time of the epidemic, but later, Cantón explains, serological tests that analyze the presence of antibodies against the virus may also be useful and, therefore, can identify people who have passed the infection. "These tests, for example, can be very useful in determining what the population affected by the virus has been," he says.

"Now a multitude of very rapid tests have been developed that detect antibodies produced by the patient against the virus. It is a much simpler and faster technique and no special equipment is needed," explains Ramos Vivas, who clarifies that "if that patient has specific antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in your blood, it is very likely that you have the virus (positive result) .In addition, if you have passed the disease the test will always be positive. On the other hand, if a person does not have or has not had never the virus, will give negative in the test ".

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Science and health
  • Coronavirus
  • Covid 19

Health Restlessness in the Basque Country due to the outbreaks of coronavirus transmission in various hospitals

HealthA 5-month-old baby from Madrid, second case of coronavirus in Murcia

SaludArgentina confirms the first death from coronavirus in Latin America