Ill Be in Touch Again if We Have Any Other Complications
This piece was authored in collaboration with the leadership across NIH and represents a unified endeavour to meet the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic with excellence and innovation. This article was originally posted on the National Library of Medicine Director'southwardMusings from the Mezzanine blog.
One thing we know for certain – every single person can help our country control the COVID-19 pandemic. From wearing a mask to washing your hands to maintaining physical distance and fugitive large indoor gatherings, each of us can follow proven public health practices that non only reduce our own risk of getting infected past SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes coronavirus illness, or COVID-19), but besides prevent the spread of COVID-nineteen to our coworkers, friends and loved ones. Some other matter that volition help is testing as many people equally possible.
Testing for COVID-19 is so important that in Apr 2020, the NIH launched the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) Initiative to develop rapid, piece of cake-to-use, authentic testing and make it available nationwide. As function of this attempt, the RADx Underserved Populations (RADx-Upwards) program is about finding solutions to finish the spread of COVID-19, particularly among racial and indigenous minorities, and other vulnerable populations that have been disproportionately affected by this pandemic. Previously, we reported about the launch of this project and our plans to develop community-based approaches to study how all-time to implement testing and prevention strategies for populations who are disproportionately afflicted by, have the highest infection rates of, or are virtually at gamble for complications or poor outcomes from COVID-19.
Scientists from the NIH and across the land are working effectually the clock to establish programs that will ensure access to and acceptance of rapid and reliable testing around the country. Testing can help people determine if they are infected with SARS-CoV-2 – regardless of whether they accept symptoms – and whether they are at risk of spreading the infection to others. Taking measures to preclude the spread of infection volition be the near effective strategy for getting united states safely back to work and school.
We want to take this opportunity to clear why widespread testing is necessary, important, and doable.
i. Testing saves lives
Testing of all people for SARS-CoV-ii, including those who have no symptoms, who evidence symptoms of infection such as trouble breathing, fever, sore throat or loss of the sense of scent and gustation, and who may have been exposed to the virus volition help prevent the spread of COVID-19 by identifying people who are in need of care in a timely fashion. A positive examination early in the course of the illness enables individuals to isolate themselves – reducing the chances that they will infect others and allowing them to seek treatment before, likely reducing disease severity and the risk of long-term disability, or death.
Testing of people who have been in contact with others who have a documented infection is also of import. A negative exam doesn't mean you're in the clear; you could become infectious later. Therefore, even if y'all test negative, you demand to proceed to protect yourself and others by washing your hands ofttimes, physically distancing, and wearing a face up mask. A positive test makes information technology clear that you lot have to isolate yourself, and that others with whom yous have been in contact since the fourth dimension of your exposure should too become tested.
Since it is recognized that nearly half of all SARS-CoV-2 infections are transmitted by people who are not showing any symptoms, identifying infected individuals while they are presymptomatic, as well as those who are asymptomatic, will play a major role in stopping the pandemic.
two. Testing can exist piece of cake and quick
Initially, the only test bachelor required getting a sample from the dorsum of a person's pharynx. New developments, some of which are supported by two other NIH projects, RADx Tech and RADx-ATP (Avant-garde Applied science Platforms), will provide more comfy and equally accurate tests that obtain the sample from inside the olfactory organ. On the horizon for large-scale use are tests that will employ a unproblematic rima oris swab or a saliva sample.
A positive test for SARS-CoV-two alerts an private that they have the infection. Non simply can they get treated faster, merely they can take steps to minimize the spread of the virus.
This is why it is then important to become the test results speedily, ideally within a few hours or less.
Early in the pandemic, at that place was not enough capacity and limited supplies to collect and procedure the tests, which resulted in delays. However, lab equipment has improved, chapters and supply have expanded, and results are existence returned, on average, within three-4 days. In fact, indicate-of-care tests volition be available that provide a upshot in less than fifteen minutes!
iii. Testing matters more in the communities afflicted the most
Communities of colour are unduly burdened past the COVID-nineteen pandemic. Some individuals in these communities are essential workers, who cannot piece of work from home, increasing their take chances of existence exposed to the virus. In improver, multi-generational living situations or multi-family unit housing arrangements can allow the virus to spread more quickly if one household member gets infected. Comorbid conditions that worsen the health risks of COVID-19, such equally heart disease, obesity and diabetes, are as well more common in minority communities because of long-standing societal and environmental factors and impediments to healthcare access. Therefore, COVID-19 tin spread quickly in these communities, and the touch on of that spread is great. Testing, particularly of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic individuals, is central to interrupting this spread.
Unfortunately, there still is a lot of defoliation nearly where to go a exam and who should get tested. It is becoming clear that for a person to test positive, they have to have a significant corporeality of the virus in their arrangement. This means that if yous accept no symptoms but think or were told that you were in contact with a person with COVID-nineteen, you should isolate yourself immediately, phone call your health care provider, and and then get a test. If you lot have any question, e'er telephone call your health intendance provider or local county public wellness office. Yous can also contact the CDC Hotline at 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).
Staying informed is essential. We encourage you to await to up-to-date, trusted sources of information nigh COVID-19, such as resources from the NIH website or MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine's consumer information resources.
Over the next few months, you'll have opportunities, such as those listed at the NIH'due south vaccine trial sites, to assistance scientists detect if the vaccines existence evaluated now are effective. If yous get ill with COVID-19, you can to participate in clinical trials underway to develop and evaluate a broad range of potential treatments, as well as several possible vaccines. So that these therapies will work for everyone, it is important for people from various communities beyond the state to participate in this inquiry. Nosotros hope that in the not likewise distant future, these efforts will lead to therapies that volition put an end to the pandemic.
In the concurrently, let'due south all go along to protect ourselves and others from getting infected, and get tested if y'all believe you have been in contact with someone with COVID-19.
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Source: https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/why-covid-19-testing-key-getting-back-normal