Abstract
Testing for COVID-19 is performed curatively for disease detection and as screening tool to prevent spread for public health and infection prevention. Testing for access is an important additional measure to provide information about asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic infection. In a recent meta-analysis 42.8% showed no symptoms with an estimated percentage of asymptomatic infections of 35.1%. False positive testing is not completely preventable but allows events such as the Eurovision Song Contest, professional football, the Olympic Games or Formula 1. Their trade-off is not purely medical but also political-economical. The choice to carry out many Dutch tests in foreign laboratories is inefficient, while at the same time the opportunity to strengthen regional innovation, training and infrastructure is missed. Cooperation between municipal health departments and regional laboratories and extra service from regional laboratories (such as fast variant PCR) are frustrated this way. We hope this situation will improve rapidly.
| Translated title of the contribution | We still have to continue to test, test, test |
|---|---|
| Original language | Dutch |
| Article number | D6450 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde |
| Volume | 165 |
| Publication status | Published - 11-Oct-2021 |