(Fighting against New Coronary Pneumonia) China optimizes the new coronavirus detection strategy and adds antigen detection as a supplement on the basis of nucleic acid detection
China News Agency, Beijing, March 11. According to the website of the National Health Commission of China on the 11th, in order to further optimize the new coronavirus detection strategy, according to the needs of epidemic prevention and control, the comprehensive group of the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council decided to promote "antigen screening, "Nucleic acid diagnosis" monitoring mode, adding antigen detection as a supplement to nucleic acid detection.
Recently, the Comprehensive Team of the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council formulated and issued the "New Coronavirus Antigen Detection Application Plan (Trial)", requiring all localities to organize and implement it carefully.
The "Plan" specifies the applicable population for antigen testing:
First, people who go to primary medical and health institutions for treatment, have respiratory symptoms, fever and other symptoms and have symptoms within 5 days;
The second is isolation observation personnel, including home isolation observation, close contact and sub-close contact, entry isolation observation, closed and controlled areas and personnel in control areas;
The third is community residents who need antigen self-testing.
At the same time, the main conditions that need to be met for antigen testing for three groups of people and the channels for obtaining testing reagents have been clarified, and the disposal management process after positive testing has been formulated to promote the connection between antigen testing and nucleic acid testing.
In order to facilitate the standardization of testing in various places, the "Plan" also includes two annexes, namely the basic requirements and procedures for new coronavirus antigen testing in primary medical and health institutions, and the basic requirements and procedures for new coronavirus antigen self-testing.
It should be noted that nucleic acid detection is still the basis for the diagnosis of new coronavirus infection, and antigen detection can be used as a supplementary method to screen specific groups of people, which is conducive to improving the ability of "early detection".
Primary medical and health institutions with nucleic acid detection capabilities should prefer nucleic acid testing; those without nucleic acid detection capabilities may conduct antigen testing, and provide training for medical staff and communication and guidance for patients.
Isolation observers and community residents should carefully read the instructions and standardize their operations for antigen testing. Once the antigen test is positive, they should immediately report to the relevant departments; when necessary, nucleic acid testing should be carried out to confirm.
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