Author Interviews, COVID -19 Coronavirus / 21.04.2020
COVID-19: Low Sensitivity of Rapid Point-of-Care Testing in a Community Setting
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. med. Manuel Döhla
Associate Researcher, AG "One Health"
Institute for Hygiene and Public Health
Medical Faculty, University of Bonn
Bonn, Germany
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Rapid and reliable testing of suspected cases is an important measure in the fight against the corona pandemic. In PCR diagnostics, 24 hours and sometimes more elapse between testing and notification of the test result. During this period, suspect cases must be isolated pre-emptively so that they do not cause further transmission. This is logistically and personnel-intensive and highly error-prone.
The shorter the time between test and result, the more effective containment measures can be. This is why the test we have evaluated, which shows a result within 20 minutes, has aroused our interest. The manufacturer's specifications (sensitivity 70 % in early stage disease (day 4-10), 100 % in late stage disease (day 11-24), specificity 100 %) were promising. (more…)