The government has decided to give permission for antigen testing at public hospitals and laboratories in the country to detect coronavirus infection. 

However, antibody testing will not be permitted, said Health Minister Zahid Malik after receiving coronavirus protective materials from Taiwan at the ministry on Monday noon.

Mentioning that there are three types of tests to detect Covid-19, the health minister said: “One of them is PCR test that we have been doing so far. Two other tests are- antigen test and rapid antibody test.”

A total 88 laboratories in country are currently conducting PCR tests. Recently we have reduced the fees for PCR tests. However, the number of tests per day has not increased that much as some people lost interest in doing this test, he said.

Based on directives given by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, we have decided not to permit the rapid antibody test. Only antigen testing will be allowed in small scale, the minister added.
 
According to experts, antigen testing is 70-80 percent more reliable than other testing methods and it can produce results in a short period of time.

Covid-19 antigen test detects certain proteins in the virus. Using a nasal or throat swab to get a fluid sample, antigen tests can produce results in minutes. Because these tests are faster and less expensive than PCR tests, antigen tests may be more practical to use for large numbers of people.

As of Monday, a total of 2,97,083 people have been infected with Covid-19 in Bangladesh. Of them, 3,983 died while 1,82,875 recovered. 

BDST: 1648 HRS, AUG 24, 2020
AP