The National Health Commission issued an announcement on March 11 that the Comprehensive Group of the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council in Response to the Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Epidemic decided to add antigen detection as a supplement to nucleic acid testing, and organized the formulation of the "Application Plan for Antigen Detection of New Coronavirus (Trial)". It is mentioned that if community residents have self-testing needs, they can purchase antigen detection reagents for self-testing through retail pharmacies, online sales platforms and other channels.
This morning (12th), Dongdong reported Zhang Wenhong
Exclusive interviews on issues related to antigen testing:
Explains what is antigen testing?
What is the difference from nucleic acid testing?
Who is it for? How do I test myself?
Residents can buy reagents to test their own COVID-19 antigens! What is antigen testing? Why test? Zhang Wenhong explained in detail
Many netizens learned the news
The first time to ask:
Where to buy antigen testing?
just! The State Food and Drug Administration issued a notice
New crown antigen self-test products, officially listed!
Approved the application change of the self-test application of new crown antigen products of Nanjing Novizan, Beijing Jinwolf, Shenzhen Huada Ingen, Guangzhou Wanfu Biologics, and Beijing Huaketai Biologics. Since then, five new crown antigen self-test products have been officially launched.
As for the price, industry insiders revealed that the antigen detection kit in Guangzhou is about 31.80 yuan.
National Health Commission: Add antigen testing as a supplement to nucleic acid testing
According to the news on the website of the National Health Commission on the 11th, in order to further optimize the new crown virus detection strategy, the comprehensive group of the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council decided to add antigen detection as a supplement on the basis of nucleic acid detection, and has recently formulated and issued the "Application Plan for The Detection of New Coronavirus Antigens (Trial)".
The protocol specifies the populations to whom antigen testing is applicable:
First, those who go to primary medical and health institutions for treatment, accompanied by respiratory tract, fever and other symptoms and have symptoms within 5 days;
The second is isolation and observation personnel, including personnel in home isolation observation, close contact and sub-close contact, entry isolation observation, sealing and control area and control area;
Third, residents of communities with antigen self-testing needs.
The plan also clarifies the main conditions that the above three groups of people need to meet for antigen detection, the channels for obtaining detection reagents, and formulates the disposal management process after the test is found positive, so as to promote the connection between antigen detection and nucleic acid detection.
According to the plan, community residents who have self-testing needs can purchase antigen detection reagents for self-testing through retail pharmacies, online sales platforms and other channels.
At the same time, the National Health Commission specifically stated that nucleic acid testing is still the basis for confirming the diagnosis of new coronavirus infection, and antigen detection as a supplementary means can be used for screening of specific populations, which is conducive to improving the ability of "early detection".
According to the plan, where primary medical and health institutions have nucleic acid testing capabilities, nucleic acid testing shall be preferred; those that do not have nucleic acid testing capabilities may be tested for antigens. Isolation observers and community residents conducting antigen testing shall carefully read the instructions and standardize operations, and once the antigen test is positive, they should immediately report to the relevant departments; when necessary, nucleic acid testing should be carried out to confirm.
It is understood that compared with nucleic acid detection, the speed of antigen detection can be faster and the operation is more convenient, but the accuracy is lower, and it is generally used for suspected people during the acute infection period. Positive antigen results can be used for early triage and rapid management of suspected populations, but not as a basis for confirming COVID-19 infection.
For purchasing antigen detection reagents
Citizens who conduct self-tests
Dongdong reminds again
If the antigen test is positive, regardless of whether there are respiratory tract, fever and other symptoms, residents should immediately report to the community (village or town), and the community (village) shall contact the emergency center to transfer the residents to the medical institution that has set up fever clinics for nucleic acid testing in accordance with the guidelines for the transfer of personnel related to the new crown pneumonia epidemic.
Asymptomatic residents with negative antigen tests can be closely observed and then undergo antigen testing or nucleic acid testing when necessary; symptomatic residents are recommended to go to a medical institution that has set up a fever clinic as soon as possible for nucleic acid testing; if it is inconvenient to seek medical treatment, they should self-isolate at home, avoid going out, and conduct antigen self-testing once a day for 5 consecutive days.
Source: Oriental Network, State Food and Drug Administration website, Xinhua News Agency, News Workshop
Video: Zhang Li
Edit: Xia Xiaoxia
Reviewer: Qian Chengcan