Expert warns of "false security": Corona rapid tests apparently not weatherproof

Created: 01/12/2022, 2:11 PM

By: Patrick Huljina

Corona tests are intended to ensure safety in everyday life.

But there are factors that can affect the outcome.

Experts therefore advise caution.

Berlin - Omikron has caused a new wave of the Corona * pandemic.

In many countries around the world, the number of infections is increasing rapidly.

One record chases the next.

On Wednesday (January 12), the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported a new high for the number of new infections every day for Germany.

Due to the developments, the test strategy is now once again coming into focus.

The federal government wants to enable early free testing from quarantine not only with PCR tests, but also with “high quality” antigen tests.

But they have limits.

Corona rapid tests: "Free testing only with an antigen test, that doesn't work"

"Freestyle testing only with an antigen test, that is not possible," said the chairman of the professional association of German laboratory doctors, Andreas Bobrowski, of the German press agency. Findings so far show that antigen tests, which include self-tests and rapid tests *, often fail, especially when the viral load is low. He considers such a free test to be a problematic signal, explained Bobrowski and explains: “After a few days, the tests would almost all be negative and you would show people a false sense of security. You have to be very cautious about that. "

The viral load tends to drop quite quickly, especially in Omikron, especially in vaccinated people.

Bobrowski pointed out that the difference in the reliability of all antigen tests is "very significant" compared to the PCR test, especially in the case of asymptomatic corona infections.

While the PCR tests almost always provided correct results in the detection of corona infections * even with a low viral load, the antigen test was correctly positive in asymptomatic courses with a low viral load in only about half of the infected, according to the expert.

A negative antigen test result does not necessarily rule out infection.

"The corona tests are not weatherproof": Expert fears incorrect storage in test centers

Another problem with the rapid tests: the external conditions during transport and storage. "The corona tests are not weatherproof," Maziyar Khatabaksh explained to the

. He is Chief Risk Officer at G&G International - a company from Hanover that, according to the report, has delivered around 20 million tests to date. When storing the rapid tests, the temperature should not fall below a minimum of two degrees Celsius, while the test itself should be at least 15 degrees Celsius, the expert explained.

According to Khatabaksh, these conditions are not met in an estimated 60 percent of all test centers.

Many Corona * test stations are housed in simple tents or containers.

Especially at low temperatures in winter there is a risk of incorrect storage.

“Temperatures that are too low increase the viscosity of the liquid in the test cassette.

That can easily lead to false positive results, ”said the expert.

"If test packs were then stored at night in frosty weather, they should actually be destroyed," said Khatabaksh.

Many corona test stations are housed in containers or tents.

© Christian Charisius / dpa

Corona rapid tests at Omikron: Lauterbach announces "positive list"

Rapid tests do not offer one hundred percent clarity as to whether or not you have been infected with Corona *. The Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI) points out in an online overview that antigen tests were not developed for this either, but rather to identify people with a very high viral load quickly and easily. The PEI also states: The tests could only detect an infection, even with the Omikron variant, if there is a high viral load at the time of the test.

Basically, according to the PEI, the majority of the corona rapid tests offered in Germany can detect Omikron.

PEI President Klaus Cichutek recently stated in the ZDF “Morgenmagazin” that over 250 test products have now been rated at a higher level of sensitivity and that at least 80 percent have achieved this level.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) had announced a “positive list” for rapid tests that Omikron can detect * well.

The data given by the PEI is an interim status, explained a spokesman for the Ministry of Health.

The creation of the complete list continues.

He affirmed that although rapid tests do not offer one hundred percent certainty, they can provide more safety in everyday life.