HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The Alabama Department of Public Health will soon receive more than one million rapid COVID-19 tests in the next few months, but how will this help our communities?
What about rapid COVID test accuracy?
A swab test could take days to get results for the coronavirus. However, a rapid test could give results as quick as 15 minutes. Doctors share the accuracy and where these tests would be most useful.
"Rapid testing again, is specific for SARS CoV-2, but it's not as sensitive. Which means it might miss cases of SARS CoV-2, COVID-19," says Assistant State Health Officer, Dr. Karen Landers, MD with the Alabama Department of Public Health.
Landers explained what having rapid COVID-19 tests in our community could mean with false negative results. Huntsville Hospital Infectious Disease Specialist, Dr. Ali Hassoun, MD says each situation cannot be treated the same.
"If you have a community-wide spread transmission, these tests are not going to be helpful because we really want much better accurate test[s]," says Hassoun.
Hassoun says the rapid tests are good for communities with low transmission.
"For example we can pick and choose. If my patient comes to the hospital, I'll do the more accurate test. But, if there was an exposure in the school, with very low rate, I can do the rapid one," says Hassoun.
Hassoun believes it's a good initiative, but says our communities need more variety of tests.
"We're going to need more, and more - I think. Because the winter coming, and I guarantee you in each exposure there's going to be about 10-15 and other ones around," says Hassoun.
The first shipment of the rapid tests will be about 96,000. Landers says the Alabama Department of Public Health is figuring out the best way to use them.
"We're still working on processes for these and working out plans to be able to effectively to utilize this. Whether the test are utilized in different entities, whether the Health Department is going to have a role in this, again we're still working on those processes," says Landers.