Our reporter Chen Xi
【Answer "epidemic" to solve confusion】
Since the fall, most parts of the country have opened the "sauna day" mode.
Many people are very concerned about whether the COVID-19 antigen test kits stored at home also need to be "cooled against heatstroke" under high temperature and high humidity.
A reporter from Science and Technology Daily consulted Tianjin Boosaisi Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Boosaisi), which produces new crown antigen detection kits.
Liu Chaoyang, manager of the company's rapid diagnosis department, said: "As long as the new crown antigen detection kit, extract, etc. are not exposed to direct sunlight for a long time, in general, storage at room temperature will not affect the accuracy of their detection."
The reporter learned that most of the new crown antigen detection kits on the market are currently stored at a temperature of 2 to 30 degrees Celsius, or 4 to 30 degrees Celsius, and are required to be stored in a dry place away from light.
In this regard, Liu Chaoyang introduced that generally speaking, if the indoor temperature exceeds the upper limit of the storage temperature for a long time, it will lead to accelerated "aging" of the new crown antigen detection kit.
Because the biological raw materials involved in the new crown antigen detection kit, such as antigen and antibody, will remain active for a long time at high temperature, that is, in a high energy state, which will make it inactive faster, and even protein denatured possible, thereby shortening the shelf life of the product.
"Of course, the emphasis here is on 'long time'. Occasionally exceeding the upper temperature limit once or twice will not affect the new crown antigen detection kit." Liu Chaoyang pointed out that compared with general biological preparations, the new crown antigen detection kit The storage conditions are relatively loose, and there is no problem in storing it in an air-conditioned room.
Unlike many immunization products, which require storage within 2 to 8 degrees Celsius.
However, if the ambient temperature in which the COVID-19 antigen detection kit is stored exceeds 30 degrees Celsius for a long time, it is recommended to store it in the refrigerator.
Liu Chaoyang emphasized that the new crown antigen detection kit should never be stored in the freezer of the refrigerator.
"After freezing, the bottle may burst and crack, and repeated freezing may also affect the properties of the extract, resulting in the appearance of sediment; at the same time, the detection card may be frozen, and the surface film may also peel off."
Since the COVID-19 antigen test kit is sealed in an aluminum foil bag, there is no need to worry about contaminating food after putting it in the refrigerator.
However, in order to prevent food from contaminating the outer packaging of the COVID-19 antigen detection kit, causing people to contaminate their hands when using it for testing, which will affect the test results, it is recommended to put a fresh-keeping bag on the outer layer of the COVID-19 antigen detection kit before putting it in the refrigerator.
What needs to be reminded is that after taking out the new crown antigen detection kit from the refrigerator, do not unpack it immediately, and be sure to let it stand for a period of time to bring the temperature back to room temperature before testing.
"It's good to judge when you can open the package and use it. It's fine if you don't feel cold with your hands." Liu Chaoyang explained that the reason why the new crown antigen detection kit is "warmed" is because the water vapor in the air will Liquefaction and agglutination on the low-temperature test card, which is what we often call "moisture absorption", will affect the accuracy of the test results.
After unpacking, it is best to use the new crown antigen detection kit as soon as possible within 1 hour. The temperature of the use environment is recommended to be between 15 and 30 degrees Celsius, and the relative humidity is within 80%.
If the novel coronavirus antigen detection kit is exposed to high temperature and high humidity after unpacking, it should be used as soon as possible.