Director in NCID Explains Why S’pore is Not Using Covid-19 Tests That Give Results Within Minutes

We are 7 months into the pandemic and still adjusting to the new norm.

And recently, there have also been news of possible vaccines and faster ways to detect the virus in us – but we still have a long way to go.

Especially the part about detection.

NCID Director Explains Why S’pore Not Using Covid-19 Tests That Gives Results Within Minutes

Since the pandemic started, companies have developed many new tests, including one that detects the presence of the virus within minutes. Though it may sound like a fast and efficient way to test for Covid-19, Singapore will not be using them for national level testing.

This is because these test kits are not sensitive enough to detect every infection of Covid-19.

According to Associate Professor Raymond Lin, director of the National Public Health Laboratory at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), these kits can give false negatives and miss true cases.

Different Kits Used in Singapore

Currently, there are 120 different diagnostic kits that have received provisional authorisation from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA). The kits range from polymerase chain reaction (PCR) kits to antigen and serology ones.

You can watch this video on the two common types of tests (and please subscribe to our YouTube channel for more informative videos!):

Guidelines for Rapid Test Kits

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also recently set out its general recommendation for the use of such rapid test kits.

In the case of more remote settings where PCR is not readily available, rapid test kits can be used to deal with suspected outbreaks. It can also be used to monitor the trends of community spreads.

In Singapore, rapid tests could be used in testing for migrant workers. As they are tested fortnightly, the PCR test could be too invasive for their noises. Rapid tests kits would ease the discomfort and can also be conducted more regularly.

American medical technology company Becton Dickinson (BD) has also developed another test kit that has received provisional authorisations from HSA. This test can detect the presence of Covid-19 in a patient within 15 minutes, according to a spokesman for the company.

The tests can also be used to complement PCR tests instead of replacing them, as PCR tests can be used in more critical times.

As they say, there is a time and place for everything.

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