Germany eyes antigen tests to keep elderly safe in 2nd wave

As Europe tries to break surging second wave of coronavirus infections, Germany is counting on a new of test to avoid closing nursing homes to visitors, a move that caused considerable anguish among residents and relatives in spring. So-called antigen tests, which look for a specific protein on virus, were first launched months ago. y are cheap and fast, but experts said at time y are also less accurate than standard PCR test, which detects even tiniest genetic trace of virus.

Still Germany, which has mand to contain spre of outbreak better than many of its neighbors — anunced recently that it is bulk-buying millions of antigen tests each month.

“We have a new strategy," Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters Monday. “We can w basically perform rapid tests on visitors to nursing and care homes.”

Nursing homes will receive up to 20 free monthly tests per resident. se can be used to test patients, staff and crucially visiting relatives, who might be unwitting carriers of COVID-19, posing a potentially devastating threat. “Health insurers will cover costs for a certain number of visitors each month,” Merkel said. "That’s huge progress in terms of protection.”

Germany has one of world’s oldest populations. More than 24 million people are 60 or older and about 900,000 people live in nursing homes. A furr 2.5 million younger people have serious disabilities. That means almost 30% of Germany's population of 83 million are particularly vulnerable to virus, Merkel said.

“Almost everyone kws somebody y don't want to infect," she said.

Germany has reported about 550,000 coronavirus cases — less than half number recorded in Britain, Spain and France. Germany's confirmed virus death toll of 10,669 is also one-fourth of Britain's. A Health Ministry spokeswoman told Associated Press that manufacturers have agreed to supply Germany with 9 million such tests in vember and 11.5 million tests in December.

Experts caution that while antigen tests have become more accurate, y should t be seen as a replacement for standard PCR method. Scientists in Switzerland recently scrutinized two widely available antigen tests, sold by Chicago-based Abbott Laboratories and Swiss pharma giant Roche. researchers concluded that out of 100 people infected with virus, only between 85 and 89 tested positive using antigen method.

“It does fulfill criteria that are published by (World Health Organization), which should be more than 80% sensitivity,” said Isabella Eckerle, who hes Center for Emerging Viral Diseases at University of Geneva, where tests were validated.

While tests are less accurate, y provide quick results, she ted.

“One big vant of se tests would be that you, for example, can build up a decentralized testing center,” Eckerle told AP. “So you build up a tent, let’s say, in front of a school or in a park, and n people can come. And n after 15 minutes, y will kw if y are positive or t.”

tests still need to be carried out by a person qualified to take a nasal swab, however. “This test is t a home test," she said. "It’s thing that you can do in your home before you visit your grandmor.” Sandra Ciesek, who hes Institute of Medical Virology at University Hospital in Frankfurt, says PCR test remains "gold standard” for w. But Christian Drosten, one of Germany’s most prominent virologists who developed one first PCR tests for COVID-19, has suggested that antigen method has its uses if people take into account its limitations.

One distinct feature of new coronavirus is its ability to multiply rapidly in throat of newly infected hosts, causing m to spre virus days before y show symptoms. By time most people are diagsed, amount of virus y are expelling when y speak or even brea has dropped significantly.

While only PCR tests can determine with near-absolute certainty if someone is infected, argues Drosten, antigen tests can indicate wher a person is infectious — and refore a risk to ors. Some experts say a negative result from an antigen test could refore be sufficient to allow people without symptoms to leave quarantine or return to school or work, giving greater freedoms particularly to children and young ults who are less at risk from serious illness. Eckerle, of University of Geneva, was hesitant.

“I would t call m a game changer,” she said. "y are a very nice and very important dition that comes exactly at right time. But because y are less sensitive than our standard tests, we kw that we would probably still miss a small proportion of infectious cases.”

That's a risk some countries may be willing to take as pandemic drags on and availability of PCR tests reaches its limits. Antigen tests are alrey used at nursing homes and assisted living facilities in United States. Spain warned of faulty tests early in pandemic, but World Health Organization has since touted m as an effective tool for low- and middle-income countries.

Roche alone says it can provide over 40 million antigen tests per month worldwide and aims to more than double that by end of year. company declined to disclose price of its tests but said that “in pandemic situations like this, cost should t be a barrier to accessing diagstics.”

“We are committed to delivering as many tests as possible to people who need m. We will certainly price test responsibly.”

As new restrictions came into force in Germany on Monday with certainty that y will effectively flatten curve of infections, Merkel said country might be able to get as many as 20 million antigen tests in January, offering some prospect of freedom. “n we can (...) start thinking about wher we can do this for visits to grandparents, t just care homes,” she said. 

(Im Credits: AP)