A tour of RTL News shows that commercial labs are busier these days. At the corona rapid test Amsterdam, for example, they notice that it is especially busy on 24 and 25 December.
Without mouth mask
“You can test better and be sure that you have nothing,” says Lorraine Clewits of Snelcoronatest.nl. “We do say: it is not a guarantee and keep your distance. But we now also see that people without a mouth mask sit with their parents. Then it is better to test, we say.”
They also notice that it is busier than normal at a test center in The Hague. “People think it is a way of acquitting themselves,” says Vincent van der Voorden. “But it is irresponsible. If you do everything until the 25th and you get tested, then the result says nothing of course.”
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The advantage of a commercial test is that the results arrive much faster. Sometimes even within 15 minutes. These tests have been created as a replacement for the PCR-tests of the GGD.
Reliable or not?
There are differences between those commercial corona testers when it comes to the tests they use. You have the so-called validated tests: these are recognized and approved by the RIVM.
Some commercial locations use so-called non-validated tests. They are not considered reliable.
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Test without complaints
Nowadays it is possible to have yourself tested at the GGD without having complaints. That can be helpful. This way, the virus can be detected at an early stage and you can go into isolation earlier. However, with a negative test, this does not mean a one hundred percent guarantee: there is a chance that you have been tested too early. You can therefore only have yourself tested at the GGD five days after you have been in contact with someone with corona.
The government is currently using 3 types of tests: the PCR test, the LAMP PCR rapid test and the antigen rapid test. People without complaints should be tested with a suitable test. The PCR and LAMP PCR test are sufficiently sensitive for this. Currently, it is still being investigated whether the antigen rapid tests can also be used for people without complaints.
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But the GGD is clear: regardless of how reliable the test is, you still have to adhere to the measures after a negative test result. “Such a test is a snapshot,” said spokesman Sonja Kloppenburg.
“The result is never watertight. You can always walk out the test line and then run it up. This applies to both reliable and non-reliable tests.”
‘Don’t take the risk’
“It may be that people have the idea after a negative test result: I can now cuddle with grandma normally. But whichever test you take, you should not want to take that risk,” says Kloppenburg.
The GGD does not see the increase in test orders just before Christmas on their test streets. “I cannot say whether people will be tested especially for Christmas. It may also be because people know that they should not have themselves tested with us without complaints.”
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