Thought of the Day - October 7 - Rapid Antigen Testing

Health Canada regulators have approved another rapid COVID-19 test, this one an antigen from Abbott Labs, and have agreed to buy over twenty million test kits.

It should be noted these tests are not designed to supplant lab-based antigen (PCR) tests currently in use. On the plus side they are easier to administer and provide results in less than 20 mins. So let's think about why they will not become the norm. First thought is that they are expensive. While the undisclosed per-unit cost maybe higher, given the additional labour required for the lab antigen tests, the total cost is probably less. Thus the real reason - they are less reliable; false negatives are commonplace. In most cases positive rapid-tests are also followed by a confirming PCR test.

So where are they going to be used? While rapid testing could be of use in contact tracing and cluster outbreaks, the real use may be in communities who are poorly served. As Hajdu stated "remote or isolated communities or special settings". But wait - up until now remote and isolated communities have been spared COVID-19 infection?

Oh, and did I mention the new tests are unlikely to be available until the New Year. So my prediction, these tests have actually been ordered in preparation for lifting of border restrictions ( Thought of the Day - September 8 - Border Still Closed ). I guess "special settings" mean airports where I assume we are still depending on thermal guns ( Thought of the Day - May 27 - Use of a Useless Test ). Am glad to see, even though there is a belief the general public still can't handle the truth, at least someone is thinking about the future.

Cheers

Cliff