Medical experts urge proper use of antigen testing

2022-03-18 15:36:00

Rapid Antigen Test kit for COVID-19. Photo/CFP

Medical experts in Jiangsu Province have provided more guidance on the proper use of rapid antigen tests (RATs) for COVID-19 infection as the National Medical Products Administration has announced 12 kinds of testing kits approved for public use.

Cui Lunbiao, a member of the provincial task force for COVID-19 response, said there are three types of testing available for COVID-19 - nucleic acid, antigen and antibody. Compared to nucleic acid testing, the method of antigen testing can be faster and easier to perform, but is less accurate and therefore is generally used in the early stages of infection.

Cui Lunbiao

Cui said the currently prevalent strain of Omicron is highly infectious and there’s also a high number of asymptomatic cases. Antigen testing can further improve the capacity for "early detection" by detecting possible infections quickly and then controlling the source of infection in a timely manner. However, nucleic acid testing is still the key criterion for deciding the result, so the general population should not randomly self-test as they like, said Cui.

Meanwhile, Pan Shiyang, director of the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospital, said the National Health Commission says it’s not necessary or recommended for the general population to take RATs themselves. People who suspect they are infected should go to a medical institution for nucleic acid testing.

For people living in medium to high-risk infection areas and residents of neighborhoods placed under quarantine, they can take the antigen testing for the preliminary diagnosis purpose. Any case tested positive in RAT should be reported immediately to local community or health institutions, according to Pan.