US pharmacies licensed to test Covid-19

AFP, published on Wednesday 08 April 2020 at 23:32

The US government authorized pharmacies on Wednesday to test for the new coronavirus, including serology tests to see if someone has ever been infected.

Health Secretary Alex Azar has announced that all tests authorized by the US drug agency, the FDA, may now be ordered by pharmacists, a move to help catch up with the United States. screening, compared to countries like South Korea.

“The Trump administration is pleased to allow pharmacists to play a greater role in the response to Covid-19, alongside the heroes of caregivers,” said Alex Azar.

When a person is infected with the coronavirus, a test, using samples taken from a kind of large cotton swab in the nose or throat, can confirm that the virus is active in their body.

After the contamination period, the person’s blood can be tested for antibodies specific to the coronavirus. This type of test, known as serology, allows you to see if she has already encountered the coronavirus, even without knowing it, as is common. When the immune system encounters a virus, it stores its memory in the form of antibodies.

But not all antibody tests are equal and do not tell whether the person, while having encountered the virus, has enough antibodies to be protected against future infection.

A Chinese study pre-published this week, and not validated by a reading committee, showed that some of the former patients had relatively low levels of antibodies in the blood.

In Washington on Wednesday, a private medical center announced that it was now offering a rapid 15-minute serology test, but the patient had to pay $ 290 for the consultation and the test.

–