Rapid antigen testing could play crucial role in forging path out of Canberra’s COVID-19 lockdown [Kate Christian] Even as the ACT inches closer to vaccination targets of 80 or 90 per cent, there will still be a major barrier to ending lockdowns.Fully vaccinated Canberrans can be asymptomatic spreaders of COVID-19 and that will become more prevalent when restrictions begin to ease.Then there is the recurring problem of s [ome Canberrans waiting too long to get tested once they start displaying symptoms](/news/2021-09-23/act-records-new-cases-of-covid-19/100485308) .So what is the solution? Yesterday ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr indicated that rapid antigen testing could be one of the tools in the territory’s arsenal to stop the spread of the virus in the community.Some industries in Australia and several other countries have embraced this form of testing, which is cheaper, easier and quicker than the PCR tests that Canberrans are currently used to.
Mr Barr said he did not see a reason not to support the use of rapid antigen testing in the home, which is currently banned in Australia, yet encouraged in places like the UK.
“Everyone understands that rapid antigen tests are not as precise as the PCR testing but they do produce a result quicker.”If they produce a positive result quicker and gets someone who would otherwise be infectious in the community quarantined, then that would be a great outcome for everyone.” When asked whether he wanted to see rapid tests used in any particular industry, he said: “I don’t think it really matters, I just want to see them used more broadly.” Canberra schools could reopen with help of rapid tests, says health expert ANU infectious disease epidemiologist Darren Gray said rapid antigen tests could be used in a variety of settings in the ACT, including in aged care homes, schools and businesses.”With the new school semester coming up, there’s certainly scope for opening schools with the use of rapid antigen tests,” Professor Gray said.”They could also be used to test visitors to aged care homes to check they’re not infected.
“As we start opening up, these tests could be a way of monitoring the pandemic because they can increase our understanding of infection and transmission trends.”The other thing, of course, is if you’re able to test yourself in the home, you are not leaving the house to line up and potentially infect other people.” Professor Gray said those who received a positive test result should follow up with the more accurate PCR test, which remained “the gold standard”.He suggested a trial of rapid antigen testing in homes could be undertaken so that guidelines and procedures could be developed for rolling them out more widely in the community, including to businesses.ACT tourism and business groups throw support behind rapid testing The supply of home tests for COVID-19 is currently prohibited by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), however, the medical regulator is progressing plans to allow this in the future.The TGA also requires testing to be supervised by a health practitioner to ensure correct collection of the sample, interpretation of results and handling of positive cases .
The TGA says this ensures “anyone who records a positive result from a rapid antigen test immediately goes to a testing centre to have a confirmatory PCR test and isolates from others to avoid potential spread of COVID-19 infection”.It is a condition vehemently opposed by the ACT’s leading tourism and business groups, who believe rapid antigen testing will play a key role in reopening the economy.Canberra Business Chamber chief executive Graham Catt said while some large corporations might be able to bear the cost of having a health practitioner oversee tests, this would be unviable for small businesses.”We were really pleased to hear the Chief Minister acknowledge how important rapid antigen testing is for the community as a whole and that includes businesses and it is something we have spoken to the ACT government about.”It is a line of defence that is widely available in the US and Britain that isn’t available to businesses here in Australia, which would give them a bit more certainty and confidence and help them focus on how they keep their customers and staff safe.” Mr Catt said waiting 15 or 20 minutes, rather than hours or days for COVID-19 results, was “going to be really critical for businesses in reducing the risk to their teams and the community as a whole”.”We know that even at the highest possible vaccination rates, the virus can still transmit and therefore we need to be doing everything we possibly can to help businesses protect staff and customers,” he said.
“I think rapid antigen testing, because of the speed of the result that can be delivered…is just going to be a critical part of what that new world looks like.” Tests should be ‘part and parcel’ of stopping the spread Canberra Region Tourism Leader’s Forum chair David Marshall said they had been pushing for rapid antigen testing to be allowed in homes and businesses “for weeks”.”We are very pleased to hear this will form part of the pathway out of lockdown in the ACT,” he said.Mr Marshall hoped the “enormous impediment” of requiring health professionals to oversee the testing could be overcome in the ACT, which he said would pave the way for them to be used widely across tourism businesses and the Canberra community.”The situation in the UK is they have been giving these tests freely to households for over 12 months and it would seem to us quite logical that these tests should be part and parcel of the government stopping the spread,” he said.
“It has already been used in Sydney in some situations and also in the construction industry.” Mr Barr said the ACT government had not entered negotiations with manufacturers of rapid antigen tests, saying that was “principally a Commonwealth government matter”.”At this point we will obviously need approval from the various regulatory authorities in relation to those tests and which ones would be certified as being suitable,” he said.The TGA states the supply of home tests is currently illegal “as COVID-19 is a serious disease and testing should be performed by a suitably qualified health practitioner who is able to provide immediate clinical advice and treatment if required”.
“There is also a potential risk that some individuals could be motivated to conceal or not report a positive test, especially if they felt that their symptoms were mild and, for example they might lose employment income, be unable to go on holiday, or miss an important family event.” Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has indicated that rules around the use of rapid tests will likely change as positive cases become more common in a largely vaccinated community, with a spokesperson saying he “strongly supports” at-home testing.Related Stories More on coronavirus Top Stories Popular Now – 1.- 2.- 3.
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