T.between contacts with positive, symptoms and seasonal ailments, there are many people who at this moment are looking to be able to carry out a quick test to find out if they are positive for COVID-19. According to the latest data, the Italians currently positive and therefore in home isolation, are 1,250,993: about one in fifty Italians. Yesterday the swabs were 1,228,410 with a 13.9% positivity rate, that is about one in seven swabs tested positive.
If we think that about 15 days ago, on December 21st, the positivity rate was 3.6%, so only one swab out of twenty-seven positive, we realize that the the need for tampons today is much greater than what the system is able to guarantee. We cannot blame the institutions, no system in the world is able to guarantee millions of swabs every day, which is why DIY covid tests that can be used at home are becoming more and more widespread.
Molecular buffer, the safest
Before understanding how to perform the test at home it is good to know the weaknesses and to do this it is necessary to understand how they work and the differences between the various tests. As is known to many the molecular test is the gold standard, the most reliable we have. For this reason, when we call our family doctor and describe symptoms attributable to COVID-19, he often offers to take this test.
However doing it in these times is really difficult, in fact it is a complex test that takes some time and an equipped laboratory to process it. The molecular test goes looking for the RNA of the virus, then through some laboratory techniques this material is greatly amplified and in real time it is possible to observe whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus is detected from the material of the sample taken or not. The many amplification cycles they allow to detect even very low viral loads and that makes it a very reliable and safe test. The downside is that it takes several hours and the use of laboratory equipment.
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Unhygienic pad, quick but less reliable alternative
For this reason, a faster and slightly less reliable alternative is the rapid antigenic tests which, as the word itself says, they go in search of the antigen, or the famous spike protein that we have all come to know. They work like a pregnancy test, they have a “control” bar that is used to tell if the test is working well, and then they have a test bar. If both lines are colored, we are positive, if we only color the control bar we are negative, if you color only the test bar, the result is invalidated and therefore must be repeated.
The importance of the operator
Now it is easy to understand why theoperator who takes the sample to be analyzed can strongly influence the result if he does not follow the correct procedure. To be positive, especially the rapid tests, they need to find one good amount of material. Consequently it is good blood samples in the area where the highest amount of virus is most likely to be found. Rapid test kits include the sampling in various areas of the nose: you can do a swab in the anterior nose, in the middle nose or a swab nasopharyngeal. Scientific literature shows that the most reliable it is the latter.
The right times
Another mistake to avoid is to do the test “too early” with respect to possible contact with a positive. Very often people after having had a risky behavior, such as a dinner with guests, an event, a business meeting, go to have a tampon in the morning. Unfortunately, we can hardly consider the result of this test reliable because iThe virus needs some time to replicate and reach a considerable amount to be detected by the swabs.
Generally taking a swab before the three days from when we think we are infected does not offer great reliability. We must not imagine that the viral load goes from 0 to 100 at the stroke of midnight on the third day. We must enter into the perspective of increase the chances of having a valid result. Be aware that in the first week after infection it is however possible to have false negative results with rapid tests. So waiting a few days can help.
What if symptoms appear?
What we have described so far applies to the asymptomatic, but if symptoms appeared, would the tests be immediately effective? Actually a study published on BMJ.com shows that the Rapid swab achieves greater reliability 1-2 days after the onset of symptoms. So even swabbing at the first symptom may not provide the best response.
How to do the quick swab without errors
At this point we can move from theory to practice and therefore open our kit to make quick swabs at home and proceed with the test.
- The first step to take is sanitize your hands and create a sterile work surface: we must avoid contaminating what we touch.
- When we are ready we can insert the swab into the nostril: to make a tampon in depth, we must insert it by tilting the head back a little and ideally “pointing” towards the ear.
- Proceed gently until no obstacles are found: some people may not be able to go deep due to deviations of the nasal septum, in these cases it can be extracted and tried in the other nostril.
- When the pad is inserted, it must be rotated and proceed by carefully following the instructions provided by the manufacturer.
Let’s remember to be cautious and that in the face of a positive result, it is a priority to protect others and therefore isolate ourselves And communicate immediately with our doctor. While in front of a negative result it is good not to let your guard down and keep all measures to reduce the risk of contagion.
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