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You have probably heard of here that coronavirus tests are sustained, it takes one to two weeks for people to be able toget their results. Not only is it that it frustrating for those who wonder if they are sick, but it is also a question of public health, because the potentially contagious people could suppose they are going well and they are going about their usual company. Now, two of the country's leading physicians advocate an immediate correction of the course with regard toCoronavirus test. These experts push a new approach that gives priority to a higher volume of tests with faster results on accuracy. "We must startAccept less precise and generalized tests, "The Director of the Center for Health and Professionalism Policy,Aaron Carroll, MD, wrote in a new OP-ED forThe New York Times."More is sometimes better than perfect."

At the beginning of the pandemic, the first instinct of the experts was to use tests with the greatest precision, which led to the most used PCR tests. These tests are made via a nasal rod cover and usually takes one to 7 days for results, according to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The other type of testing,Antigen tests, can be done via saliva, even by people at home. And they take less than an hour to get results, the FDA says.

While antigen tests are cheaper and faster, they areLess accurate than PCR tests-But not by many. Experts say they are93 percent specific compared to the accuracy of 99% of the PCR test, according to a recentTodayreport.

So, why suddenly recommend antigen tests? Well, many public health officials sayTest results that do not return within 48 hours Do not serve their purpose. "If you do not know if thatPerson recovers the results At a reasonable period of time - 24 hours, 48 ​​hours maximum, when you arrive at six or seven days, this kind of attenuation really against making good tracing and good insulation, "Anthony Fauci, MD, says in a recent appearance on CNN.

So, according to Carroll andAshish jha, MD, Director of the Harvard Global Health Institute (HGHI), the slightly increased accuracy of PCR tests is not worth it the results of delayed tests are caused.

In hisTimes OP-ED, Carroll compares America's approach to masks to COVID-19 test problems. When the masks have become for the first time a suggested precaution, the public has focused on N95 masks because they are considered the most effective. However, not everyone could access it and disease control and prevention centers (CDC) have actually started to discourage the US public fromBuy N95 masks so that supply can be reserved for those of the fronts. The N95 masks are known to block95% potentially contaminated particles (hence their name), while the dual standard homemade layerCotton masks block up to 80% of particles.

Carroll emphasizes that havingeveryone The wearing of less effective masks is more beneficial than having a small part of people wearing very effective masks. So he says it's the same logic we should apply for testing. If the majority of people have access to inexpensive and fast, more useful than a smaller group of people taking tests and wait more than a week for results.

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Similarly, in an OP-ED forTimeJHA says, "The way forward isnot a perfect test, but we offer fast results. "According to Jha, PCR tests are too expensive and slow to be very practical. In his mind, the solution to this problem isAntigen tests that could be taken frequently at home. "Imagine spitting on a tape of special paper every morning and tells two minutes later if you were positive for Covid-19," says Jha.

Some argued that it would be irresponsible to count onTests that may be missedA significant number of positive cases. However, JHA says that frequency and speed antigen tests are allowed to compensate for this concern. "PCR tests are currently slowing laboratories with a ramp. If everyone has taken an antigen test today - even identify only 50% of the positive points - we will always identify 50% of all current infections of the Country-five times more than 10%. Cases, we are probably currently identified because we test so few people, "Jha writes.

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With regard to the debate between precision and speed, Jha and Carroll warmly advocate for the latter. "By putting a premium on the accuracy of the tests, we do not test the majority of people with COVID-19," writes JHA. "These integrated by delays actually undermine our ability to identify cases that are essential for generalized tests." And for another group of experts pushing against the most common Covid-19 test, discoverThe surprising reason behind the newest change in cdc guideline.