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Self-tests can help diagnose Covid 19 disease.
But especially in the case of vaccinated people, they could only be of limited informative value
Photo: Zacharie Scheurer / dpa
With the help of rapid antigen tests, corona disease can often be detected within a few minutes.
But: the tests are not always sensitive enough.
The virologist Christian Drosten pointed this out again on Twitter.
“Before symptoms begin, rapid tests are simply not sensitive enough.
Hence my doubts about 3G, «wrote the scientist from the Charité in Berlin.
In addition, the sensitivity in vaccinated people is even worse, as preliminary data suggested.
"So close vaccination gaps, boost and reduce contacts until then."
He also commented on the use of such rapid tests in vaccinated people in relation to »Bild«: »According to my preliminary assessment, it looks as if infections in vaccinated people cannot be detected so well by the rapid antigen test, especially in the first days of infection.
Unfortunately, the study situation is not yet sufficient. "
On Friday, the Federal Council approved the controversial Infection Protection Act that the SPD, Greens and FDP had submitted.
The regulation provides for a 3G concept at the workplace, on buses and trains: Those who have not been vaccinated or recovered must present a current, negative rapid test result.
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In addition, vaccinated and convalescent people should, under certain circumstances, which are based on the stress in the clinics, only be allowed to go to certain events or facilities with a negative test result.
This model is called 2G plus.
The chairman of the Professional Association of German Laboratory Doctors, Andreas Bobrowski, told "Bild" that the PCR test is clearly superior to the rapid antigen test, especially for asymptomatic patients.
Max Planck researcher Viola Priesemann also expressed doubts about the effect of the 2G and 3G regulations.
The plan alone to establish 2G and 3G in the public sector will "not be enough to bring the number of cases down," she said.
After all, most of the contacts are in the private sphere.
Priesemann again strongly advocated a faster pace of basic vaccinations and booster vaccinations.
If the level of vaccinations reached in summer again, "then we would see the first effects in a month," said Priesemann at the hearing with a view to the number of new infections.
Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit, virologist at the University of Hamburg, said: "In critical areas such as old people's homes or clinics, you should therefore rely on more reliable PCR pool tests." Samples from several people are checked at the same time.
Individual examinations will only follow if the result is positive.
More than a third of the cases are not recognized
With the aid of rapid antigen tests, virus particles can be detected in a sample from the nasopharynx in the event of an infection.
However, the rapid tests detect on average only 58 percent of those infected without symptoms.
And only with adults, and if the samples were taken professionally.
This was the result of a study by the independent international Cochrane Collaboration, for which studies on common rapid tests were analyzed.
vki / dpa