TIRANA, Dec 7 /ATA/ As of today, the teams of field epidemiologists will perform rapid diagnostic tests on persons suspected of COVID-19, which take up to 30 minutes.
Shpëtim Qyra, microbiologist at the Institute of Public Health told the Albanian Telegraphic Agency that initially the tests will be performed by epidemiologists on the field and after December 20, special points will be set up in Tirana to perform the procedure.
“Tirana’s healthcare workers have been trained to perform rapid diagnostic tests and will become trainers for others in Tirana. So, we have proceeded with the training and the selection criteria for those that will undergo rapid testing. Meanwhile, epidemiologists and other health workers in Tirana have started to perform rapid testing as of today. The testing is not performed in dedicated points at the moment but this procedure will start after December 20 in certain points set up close to outpatient clinics and health centres in Tirana. As for testing, it continues uninterruptedly.
“Epidemiologists along with backup staff go and test suspected cases on the field. Rapid testing is not performed in health centers yet, ” Qyra said.
The microbiologist also explained that the test will be performed only on those persons exhibiting clinical signs of the disease, which is prescribed by the family doctor.
“The procedure of taking the sample, processing and giving the result is quite fast. Within 30 minutes, the result is delivered to each individual,” he said.
Regarding the reliability of rapid testing, Qyra said that they are very accurate. According to the doctor, this test only shows whether the citizen is a carrier of the virus or not.
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