Role of Testing to Tackle COVID-19 Epidemic

The World Health Organization has declared for nations to "test, test, and test" for COVID-19 - here is why?

The World Health Organization's Director-General remarked that nations can do more to hold the COVID-19 outbreak. Testing all presumed cases is a necessary part of knowing the measure of the outbreak and how it is growing. "We have a single message for all nations: test, test, and test."

As global cases surpass 823,626 and continue to grow, he highlighted the crucial requirement to increase testing. "Test every doubted case, if they examine positive, separate them and discover out who they have been in touch with two days before they emerged symptoms and test these people, too," he told.

Benefits of Testing

How are COVID-19 tests performed?

The most popular tests for COVID-19 include using a swab from a patient's nostrils and neck and checking them for the genetic footstep of the virus. They are named "PCR tests". The initial PCR tests for COVID-19 occurred very quickly - in two weeks of the virus being recognized - and they are presently a portion of the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s suggested protocol for handling virus.

Why is testing necessary?

Can COVID-19 tests fail?

There are many reasons why someone infected with COVID-19 may provide a false-negative outcome when tested:

The WHO recommends that these problems should be brought into account and that for some people, tests should be carried out several times.

Sadly, the ability of COVID-19 testing is yet low in many countries around the globe. For this reason, we quiet do not have a good knowledge of the extent of the pandemic. All nations should make an effort to test all doubted cases. We cannot battle this pandemic blindfolded.