Seemingly simple questions are often the hardest to answer. In the How’s it going? we try every week to find the answer to such questions. This time: should vaccinees with corona complaints also be tested?
Vaccinated testing
More than 21 million corona vaccines have now been used in the Netherlands. Many people have already been double vaccinated, which means that they are now as well protected as possible against the virus. The chance that they will become very ill from the virus is therefore quite small. This knowledge can ensure that vaccinees are less likely to make an appointment for a corona test as soon as complaints arise. Is this right, or are they also doing well to make an appointment with the GGD?
Does testing matter?
RIVM writes on its own website that this is certainly important. “The vaccine protects people who have been vaccinated against the virus. But someone who has been vaccinated must continue to adhere to the measures, just like everyone else, until enough people in the Netherlands have been vaccinated. “There are a number of reasons for this. The vaccines work well and are safe. However, there is a chance that you will become infected, even if it does not make you very ill. We now know that vaccination also affects contagiousness: people who are vaccinated are often less contagious. But they can be contagious. It is therefore important that everyone adheres to the measures for the time being.” These measures also include testing in the event of complaints.
Also read: PCR test, antigen test or self test, what’s the difference?
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Is a self-test sufficient?
You can now also test for corona at home with so-called self-tests. You can take such a self-test yourself and tell you the result within 15 minutes. The RIVM emphasizes that such a test is not sufficient if you have been vaccinated and have corona complaints. “Self-tests are intended for people without complaints, as a supplement with which otherwise unnoticed infections can be detected. According to the RIVM, self-tests are not intended for:
- People with complaints;
- People who had contact with someone with corona;
- People returning from a high-risk area.
According to the RIVM, the reliability of a self-test is between 58 and 78 percent, which means that there is a chance of an incorrect result.
Deltavirus
Another reason to have yourself tested as a vaccinated person if complaints occur is of deltavariant of the coronavirus. This type probably spreads more easily among vaccinated people, so that testing for complaints also remains a must. RIVM is now investigating whether this is actually the case.
(Source: RIVM, central government, RTL News)
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