今年節日季,如果你打算去探望脆弱的親人,并在此之前進行了新冠檢測,那么就請注意:一項最新研究發現,居家快速檢測可能讓你產生一種虛假的安全感。
荷蘭研究人員安排專業醫護人員對數千人進行鼻拭子檢測,并向受試者提供了居家快速檢測試劑,由他們自己完成檢測。他們發現,快速檢測試劑的假陰性率約為75%。這一結論來自《臨床微生物學和感染》雜志(Clinical Microbiology and Infection)于11月12日發表的一篇研究論文。
研究人員排除病毒載量最低的感染者之后,快速檢測的假陰性率依舊超過一半。研究人員寫道,快速檢測的效果是“足夠的”,但只有在檢測者出現癥狀之后。
節日是家庭團聚的好時節,也是新冠、流感和呼吸道合包病毒(RSV)等疾病傳播的季節。雖然新變異毒株使新冠到目前為止沒有變成一種季節性疾病,但在寒冷天氣經常會出現新冠疫情高峰,因為這時候人們往往留在室內和聚會慶祝節日。
從新冠疫情初期以來,公共衛生官員一直呼吁人們在探望老年人或免疫力低下的親朋好友之前,進行檢測和隔離,無論對方是否接種了疫苗。在策劃大型聚會之前,同樣需要如此。
但研究人員寫道,在奧密克戎疫情期間,快速檢測“只能檢測出少數感染者”。這可能是因為新冠病毒的感染者如果沒有癥狀,其病毒傳播水平通常較低,而且沒有流鼻涕,而從鼻涕中更容易檢測出陽性。
研究人員寫道,自我檢測“對于希望保護弱勢群體的無癥狀感染者價值有限,甚至會產生一種虛假的安全感”?!叭藗冃枰宄@一點,并且更了解其他預防措施,例如保持距離或佩戴口罩等?!?/p>
華盛頓大學醫學院(University of Washington School of Medicine)的健康測量與評價中心(Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation)的研究人員預測,到預測周期截止的1月,新冠確診病例持續逐步增加。據美國疾病控制與預防中心(U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)披露,美國每周新冠死亡人數始終在2,500人左右。(財富中文網)
譯者:劉進龍
審校:汪皓
今年節日季,如果你打算去探望脆弱的親人,并在此之前進行了新冠檢測,那么就請注意:一項最新研究發現,居家快速檢測可能讓你產生一種虛假的安全感。
荷蘭研究人員安排專業醫護人員對數千人進行鼻拭子檢測,并向受試者提供了居家快速檢測試劑,由他們自己完成檢測。他們發現,快速檢測試劑的假陰性率約為75%。這一結論來自《臨床微生物學和感染》雜志(Clinical Microbiology and Infection)于11月12日發表的一篇研究論文。
研究人員排除病毒載量最低的感染者之后,快速檢測的假陰性率依舊超過一半。研究人員寫道,快速檢測的效果是“足夠的”,但只有在檢測者出現癥狀之后。
節日是家庭團聚的好時節,也是新冠、流感和呼吸道合包病毒(RSV)等疾病傳播的季節。雖然新變異毒株使新冠到目前為止沒有變成一種季節性疾病,但在寒冷天氣經常會出現新冠疫情高峰,因為這時候人們往往留在室內和聚會慶祝節日。
從新冠疫情初期以來,公共衛生官員一直呼吁人們在探望老年人或免疫力低下的親朋好友之前,進行檢測和隔離,無論對方是否接種了疫苗。在策劃大型聚會之前,同樣需要如此。
但研究人員寫道,在奧密克戎疫情期間,快速檢測“只能檢測出少數感染者”。這可能是因為新冠病毒的感染者如果沒有癥狀,其病毒傳播水平通常較低,而且沒有流鼻涕,而從鼻涕中更容易檢測出陽性。
研究人員寫道,自我檢測“對于希望保護弱勢群體的無癥狀感染者價值有限,甚至會產生一種虛假的安全感”?!叭藗冃枰宄@一點,并且更了解其他預防措施,例如保持距離或佩戴口罩等?!?/p>
華盛頓大學醫學院(University of Washington School of Medicine)的健康測量與評價中心(Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation)的研究人員預測,到預測周期截止的1月,新冠確診病例持續逐步增加。據美國疾病控制與預防中心(U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)披露,美國每周新冠死亡人數始終在2,500人左右。(財富中文網)
譯者:劉進龍
審校:汪皓
If you’re testing for COVID before visiting vulnerable loved ones this holiday season, be warned: At-home rapid tests may give you a false sense of security, according to a new study.
Researchers in the Netherlands had medical professionals swab the noses of thousands of individuals, then sent them home with a rapid test to complete themselves. They found that rapid tests provided false negatives about 75% of the time, according to the study, published Saturday in?Clinical Microbiology and Infection.
When researchers eliminated infected individuals with the lowest viral loads, rapid tests still gave false negatives more than half the time. Such tests perform “adequately,” but only after individuals have developed symptoms, researchers wrote.
The holidays are prime time for family get-togethers—and for illnesses like COVID, flu, and RSV to spread. While new variants have prevented COVID from becoming a seasonal illness so far, spikes are common during cold weather, when individuals tend to stay inside and gather for holiday celebrations.
Since early in the pandemic, public health officials have urged those visiting elderly or immunocompromised friends and relatives—both vaccinated and unvaccinated—to test and quarantine ahead of their visit. The same goes for those planning to gather in large groups.
But in the era of Omicron, rapid tests “may only detect the minority of infections,” researchers wrote. This is likely because individuals sick with COVID who don’t have symptoms usually have low levels of the virus circulating—and don’t have a runny nose that would make testing positive much easier.
Self-testing has “limited value for asymptomatic individuals wishing to protect vulnerable persons and may even lead to a false sense of security,” the authors wrote. “One should be aware of this, and better informed about other prevention options such as physical distancing or mask use.”
Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine’s Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation project a continued gradual rise in COVID cases through January, the end of their forecasting period. Weekly U.S. deaths from the virus are hovering at around 2,500, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.