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EU recommends use of rapid Covid-19 antigen tests
Executive body advises widespread adoption by member states to help curb virus surge
Wed, Nov 18, 2020, 18:34
Naomi O’Leary Europe Correspondent, Irish Times
The European Union’s executive body has recommended the widespread adoption of quick antigen testing by member states to help curb an autumn surge of Covid-19 across the continent.
The tests can give results in minutes, but are less accurate than the standard PCR or polymerase chain reaction tests. Slovakia recently used the tests to conduct a mass screening of two-thirds of its population over a single weekend in a bid to root out the virus, an experiment set to be copied by Austria.
“Testing tells us what the extent of the spread is, where it is, and how it develops. It is a decisive tool to slow down the spread of Covid-19,” said health commissioner Stella Kyriakides.
The recommendation is that rapid tests should be used in circumstances where fast detection is required to contain an outbreak, or for regular screening of high-risk groups, such as medical personnel and in care homes.
A health worker wearing overalls performs rapid antigen tests for Covid-19 in a medical office. Photograph: Ettore Ferrari/EPA
