One of the concepts that we addressed in our recent collaboration with Doctor Oriol Mitjà in the development of the action plan for returning to in-person events was the safety of antigen tests, defining the terms of sensitivity and specificity of the tests. In other words, How safe is the test I will take? How safe will the event be?
If you do not know the meaning of these terms, I invite you to read our antigen test for events entry, where you will find all the technical information necessary to make better use of this type of test.
How do I know the test is safe?
We must keep in mind that not all antigen test brands have the same sensitivity and specificity values. Now that this screening system has expanded its use to all types of events and celebrations, we believe that it is important to highlight the importance of good implementation and development of mass testing, since as we say, NOT all tests are the same, and NOT all practices carry the same degree of security and rigor.
In Spain specifically, the tests that are most popular are the Abbot and Roche brands. These have a specificity of around 96-99%.
This does not mean that other lower quality tests cannot be purchased, so before hiring a testing service for events, we strongly recommend that you have all the information possible about the service.
Another factor we need to understand is the days of transmissibility of the virus versus the days you can test positive. As we see in this graph, the antigen test will detect us in the time frame in which we are contagious, which would be between days 5 and 10 from contact with a positive person. Depending on the specificity and sensitivity parameters of each test, they may not detect people with a very low viral load and a reduced contagion capacity. (More information on the topic at www.backtoevents.org)
How do I know the process will be well implemented?
To ensure that screening with antigen tests at an event offers the maximum possible security and validity, we have created an explanatory and practical guide to understand the application of this system.
However, the basic concepts to keep in mind when hiring this service are;
- Self-responsibility certificate: It is important that people who take the test leave in writing that if they test positive they will immediately go to their health center to confirm the result, in addition to putting into practice the corresponding security measures, as well as declaring that has not been in recent contact with positive and? Your health status is outside the symptoms associated with Covid-19. Good management of the positives is equally or more important than the validation of the negatives.
- Taking temperature and screening for symptoms: In any case, we recommend doing a first temperature filter and observing clarifying symptoms (difficulty breathing, a lot of cough, etc.)
If you want more information about the safety of our antigen tests or need a specific quote for your event, do not hesitate to contact us, we will be happy to help you. Send us an email with the number of people to test and the time slot in which you want it to be executed and we will advise you immediately.
