Store and use tests correctly: Incorrect results in heat?
Created: 07/27/2022, 14:13
By: Jasmine Farah
Corona causes many new infections in summer.
An antigen test should clarify it.
This is difficult at temperatures above 30 degrees.
Many people in this country are happy about the summer temperatures.
But this joy is clouded by the increasing number of corona infections.
The hope that these will decrease again in the summer months, as in the past two years, has not been fulfilled.
Corona variant BA.5, which is said to be even more aggressive than Omicron, is currently rampant.
According to the Robert Koch Institute, the seven-day incidence in Germany is 652 (as of July 27).
But the number of unreported cases could be much higher.
Because there is a serious problem, as the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) warns.
Storing and using tests correctly: False results in heat?
The antigen tests that can be used to test for corona are very sensitive to heat.
In many places, however, the temperatures have cracked the 30 degree mark in the past few days, which makes correct storage difficult.
In addition, the note from the Baden-Württemberg State Chamber of Pharmacists states that the antigen test should be carried out at room temperature.
Not so easy when your own apartment is like a sauna!
With the end of the free citizen tests, more self-tests at home will probably be used again.
In order for them to show a correct result, they should be stored correctly.
© Zacharie Scheurer/dpa-tmn
With the result that the application can no longer be carried out properly.
And that in turn has fatal consequences, since false negative results are said to occur.
So what can be done to ensure that the corona test works properly?
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Store and use tests correctly: Choose a cool place
Which temperatures are to be observed is usually in the package insert of the test from the respective manufacturer.
The BMG, on the other hand, gives a temperature range of four and 30 degrees Celsius as a guideline.
Depending on the instructions, the tests should be used properly at a temperature of ten or 15 to 30 degrees.
If you comply with this, you can be sure that the test result will be correct.
If the self-test is carried out at home and it is much too warm there, you should not put it in the freezer or the like.
Instead, it is advisable to keep the corona test at room temperature, for example in the wardrobe in the bedroom, advises
fitforfun.de
.
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By the way: If you are not sure whether the test centers are complying with the temperature recommendations, you can ask the staff.
If the answers are insufficient, it is better to look for another provider if in doubt.