DIY Covid-19 test kits useful, but experts flag areas of concern
Downsides include under-declaring of results and possibility of false results
Do-it-yourself (DIY) Covid-19 test kits will be a useful tool in Singapore's arsenal to fight the coronavirus as they are quick and convenient to use, said experts yesterday.
But the experts also flagged potential areas of concern, such as the under-declaring of results, with one suggesting that the authorities regulate such kits and integrate them into government health systems.
DIY tests, which are already in use in places such as South Korea, the United States and Europe, will be available at pharmacies in Singapore soon, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday.
DIY tests work like the antigen rapid tests (ARTs) that are used in pre-event testing. ARTs - and most DIY tests currently available overseas - return results in 30 minutes but are less accurate than polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which take a day or two to process.
The Health Ministry told The Straits Times that it is in discussion with agencies and partners to bring in over-the-counter ART kits and will provide more information when ready.
Infectious disease expert Paul Tambyah, president of the Asia- Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection, said the DIY kits are useful because they can be used at home or if there is a need to travel somewhere in an emergency and a regular PCR test or ART cannot be done.
"These are essentially stripped-down ARTs... Many US airlines accept home test results. Companies can also get their employees to do them on a regular basis until vaccinations are completed," he said.
Dr Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious disease specialist from Rophi Clinic, said that a DIY test will be simple to administer - almost like a pregnancy test kit.
"It is much cheaper, at a cost price of $15 to $20 a day. It takes away the complexity of testing, giving the power to the consumers," he said.
In comparison, a PCR test costs between $150 and $200, while an ART costs as little as $10.
The convenience that DIY kits offer makes them good for businesses that want to reassure their customers and workers at high risk of exposure to the virus who wish to give their families peace of mind, said Dr Ling Li Min, an infectious diseases physician from Rophi Clinic.
But the kits involve several risks, including the possibility that they could produce false results if administered incorrectly. Dr Ling highlighted the risk of false negatives.
"This means infected people may think they are virus-free, especially if they have yet to have symptoms," she said, adding that they could then spread the disease unknowingly.
Professor Tambyah said they could also show a false positive, so a confirmatory PCR test - the gold standard in Covid-19 testing - is needed to confirm a diagnosis.
The experts noted that not declaring a positive DIY test result could be dangerous, given how it would mean that infectious people could be spreading the disease.
Prof Tambyah suggested regulating the sale of such kits in pharmacies and integrating them into Singapore's national gateway to citizens' medical records, prescriptions and clinic appointments.
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