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The Ministry of Health has recommended this Thursday not to perform rapid diagnostic tests in companies, as reflected in the update of the document 'Instructions on carrying out diagnostic tests for the detection of Covid-19 in the field of companies'. The ministry also advises against testing based on antibody detection, while it is committed to conducting PCR tests (those that detect genetic material from the virus when infection is ongoing) to all employees with symptoms.

According to the document distributed by the Executive, the WHO only recommends the performance of these tests "in research settings and indicates that they should not be used in any other setting".

The announcement comes at a time when, in the absence of massive tests, many Spanish companies have taken the initiative and started to do rapid tests on their employees to prepare for a return to activity with the maximum health guarantees. Some of these companies are like El Corte Inglés, Seat, Inditex, Unicaja, Santander, Bankia and Telefónica.

The Health document shows that the occupational risk prevention services that carry out health activities must limit the use of diagnostic tests to the established areas of action. This report, worked on and agreed with the Autonomous Communities, and approved by the Occupational Health Report, reminds that PCR tests must be carried out in any case suspected of infection in the first 24 hours.

Regarding tests based on the detection of antibodies, Health emphasizes that they provide information "in the recovery phase, when many of the opportunities for clinical intervention or interruption of the transmission of the disease have already passed." Also, Health warns of the "false positives" that may appear in its practice and that "there is no scientific evidence" to support that these tests are capable of predicting whether a person is immune to reinfection by coronavirus.

NOTIFICATION OF CASES

The 'Instructions on the conduct of diagnostic tests for the detection of Covid-19 in the field of companies' stresses the obligation that all centers, services and health facilities for clinical diagnosis, publicly or privately owned, must notify the health authority of the autonomous community confirmed cases after carrying out diagnostic tests.

"Likewise, any entity of a public or private nature that, in relation to the diagnostic tests for the detection of Covid-19, purchases swabs for sampling, virus transport medium, inactivation reagents, nucleic acid extraction kits or reactions PCR, or rapid diagnostic tests must inform the competent health authority of the autonomous community in which they are located and / or provide their services, with express indication of the type of material, number of units purchased and destination of use " concludes.

In accordance with the criteria of The Trust Project

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