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Coronavirus pandemic

Over-the-counter sales of antigen tests for COVID-19 should be forbidden, expert says

The specialist added that these tests should be conducted only with expert supervision

ST. PETERSBURG, November 18. /TASS/. Free sales of tests for the presence of antigens to the novel coronavirus infection at pharmacies should be stopped since consumers cannot accurately interpret the test results on their own, chief non-resident expert on clinical and laboratory diagnostics of the St. Petersburg Healthcare Committee Andrei Ivanov said at the St. Petersburg International Health Forum on Wednesday.

"The practice of conducting and selling tests which should be conducted only by medical specialists and only in a setting of a medical institution, without proper skills, the over-the-counter sales of these tests to population should be stopped. People consider it possible to use the tests this way, and in a number of cases, not having the expertise to interpret the test results, to draw some conclusions <….> The Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare should pay attention to this, I am talking about tests for antigens which are sold freely, this practice should be stopped," the expert thinks.

The specialist added that these tests should be conducted only with expert supervision. According to him, even clinical specialists, not having an interdisciplinary interaction with laboratory specialists, are unable to conduct these tests effectively.

The expert also added that the sensitivity of the PCR-diagnostics for the presence of the coronavirus infection when testing nasal and oral swabs does not surpass 70%. Based on this data, the expert urged to keep this limit in mind in diagnostic interpretations without "idealizing" this testing method.

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