“Normally, tests are performed from the nasopharynx, but if the patient agrees, the test can also be performed from saliva. For now, this is a trial test, “confirmed hospital spokeswoman Mirka Kátriková to the News.
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She added that the first round is currently scheduled for Thursday, November 26.
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Bulovka is also the only facility that has so far used the offer of the Czech company.
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According to the company’s founder Václav Navrátil, the main need now is for the test testing to be extended to other sampling points soon, including those outside Prague. “Negotiations are ongoing, but we do not want to confirm specific locations until everything has been agreed,” the head of Diana Biotechnologies told Novinka.
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“Mainly separate the contagious”
At present, according to Navrátil, the data show an approximately 90% capture of koranavir compared to conventional nasopharyngeal swabs. However, he added with one breath that lower sensitivity does not necessarily mean a problem, on the contrary.
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While classic swabs often catch the virus even when a person is no longer infectious, if it is found in saliva, he says it is very likely that it is still active in the body. It further follows that there is also a greater likelihood of contagion.
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“The primary goal is not diagnostics, but to capture people who can infect someone,” explains Navrátil.
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Faster and cheaper?
The results so far also show that saliva tests are not prone to false positive results compared to other methods. Together with the acceleration of testing, which allows the evaluation of results within one hour, and the possibilities of large-capacity processing, they could enable easy and affordable area testing, including rapid testing in large companies.
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He returned that if the testing proved successful, the company is ready to start distributing tests throughout the country. “We would like to start loading by the end of the year, and then hopefully it will go quickly,” he said.
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And even though the new method could also reduce the price of the test, according to him, the final word will be taken by the collection points. “Cost-effective tests have the potential to be several times cheaper. The price could be around a few hundred crowns, but it will depend on the specific laboratory, “said Navrátil.
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Blatný is against it so far
However, the new Minister of Health Jan Blatný (for YES) had previously doubted the use of saliva tests. At a press conference last week, he stated that saliva testing is not on the agenda in the Czech Republic.
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“For saliva tests, it has not been possible to prove that the accuracy and quality of testing are at a level that can be used. This has been abandoned and antigenic assays are clearly preferred. An examination of saliva is not on the agenda, “he told reporters.
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