Don't fall for Covid-19 home tests

The country's medicine regulator has cautioned against the use of rapid home-testing, saying the lab test remains the most reliable Covid-19 test.Since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, many companies and private laboratories have been promoting self-test kits that promise accurate results at fraction of the price compared to traditional tests — but the country’s medicine regulator has warned South Africans not to buy such illegal home kits.

The SA Health Products Regulatory Authority has appealed to the public to report anyone selling the so-called “rapid” test kits for Covid-19, saying not only are they not approved in SA and unsuitable for diagnostic purposes, but they fail to detect the disease in its early stages. Sahpra CEO Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela said while rapid blood tests — otherwise known as point-of-care tests — are suitable for population surveys, they are not ideal during the acute phase of infection. This is in line with the recommendation of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases and the World Health Organisation .

“They are not helpful to guide decision-making regarding patient management, decisions around the need for quarantine, isolation or contact tracing. Serological tests are used for epidemiological surveys, but not for the diagnosis of acute infections. The South African public is reminded that at this stage, the use of serological test kits is not recommended,” she said.

If you don't know who has Covid 19 you sure will find out now....

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