Background On The COVID-19 Virus
Human coronaviruses are common and are typically associated with mild illness, similar to the common cold. COVID-19 is an illness caused by a new (novel) form of the human coronavirus called Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus, also known as SAR-CoV-2. For simplicity, we refer to this new virus as the COVID-19 virus or COVID-19 for short.
What we now know is that COVID-19 is a contagious disease that is spread from an infected to an uninfected person through:
Respiratory droplets and aerosols when you cough, sneeze, sing or talk
Close personal contact such as touching, hugging or shaking hands, and
Touching something with the virus on it and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth before washing your hands.
Infection with COVID-19 can cause:
No symptoms (individual is asymptomatically infected)
Mild symptoms such as cough, mild fever, sore throat, headache, body ache, and fatigue
Severe symptoms including moderate to severe difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to arouse, and bluish lips or face.
About 80% of infected individuals have mild symptoms or often no symptoms at all. Symptoms usually develop 2-14 days after exposure to an infected person, on average about 5 days later. Symptoms may progress from mild to severe in a short period of time, from a few hours to a few days.
Infected individuals may shed virus for a few days before they become symptomatic. Viral shedding can last up to two weeks afterwards. Viral shedding in asymptomatic individuals contributes to transmission of the COVID-19 virus, resulting in new infections. Recent estimates suggest that many new infections are the result of infection by individuals with no or unrecognized symptoms.
It is recommended that persons with COVID-19 infection who are symptomatic should have home isolation for 10 days from when symptoms first appeared. And persons with COVID-19 infection who are asymptomatic should have home isolation for 10 days from the date of the first positive test.
In the interest of caution, individuals who are home isolating should have at least two consecutive COVID-19 viral tests collected 24 or more hours apart. Prior to ending home isolation, individuals should have two negative test results.
Two Ways To Test For The COVID-19 Virus
Currently, there are two ways to test for the virus that causes COVID-19: molecular testing (PCR) and antigen testing. PCR testing has been used since the pandemic began and is considered to be the “gold standard“ by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
COVID-19 antigen tests are designed for the rapid diagnoses of active infection primarily by detecting the nucleocapsid protein antigen of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the virus that causes COVID-19) from nasal swabs or similar clinical specimens. After collection, point-of-care antigen tests take approximately 15-30 minutes to finalize a result.
Are Antigen Tests Effective For Employers And Their Employees?
Antigen tests are an effective tool to help employers prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. Antigen tests, when used for screening employees in non-healthcare workplaces, can detect current infection before an employee enters the workplace or returns to work. Antigen tests are...
Easy to give.
Quick to return results.
Low in cost.
Identifying Staff And Employees' Exposure To COVID-19
Antigen tests are especially useful for screening because they can identify staff and employees with COVID-19 who do not have signs or symptoms and no known exposure to COVID-19. Employers will find regular antigen testing very useful for staff and employees who meet or travel regularly for business meetings, and those who work in crowded indoor spaces or where there is constant contact with the public at large.
Validating An Antigen Test For Accuracy
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or better known as OSHA, now requires proctoring for all antigen tests in order to be valid. Proctoring can present a huge logistical challenge to employers, yet is a critical component of biosecurity.
Employers need to determine the vaccination status of each employee, obtain acceptable proof of vaccination status, and maintain records and a roster of each employee’s vaccination status. Without proof of vaccination, employees are not considered fully vaccinated. The same goes for antigen tests where each test must be properly proctored in order to be valid and properly verified with an employee receiving a QR code or verification to their smart device.
An authorized telehealth proctoring solution is the best means for employers to simplify and streamline this process for their employees. Clinical oversight + medical staff to administer an employer's program onsite or remotely is imperative, along with an employer vaccination + test management dashboard that works with any EUA- authorized test kit. An antigen testing platform is customizable to any employer's needs, and employee enrolments are fully managed.
To learn more about setting up proctoring for all your antigen and rapid testing needs, please contact: sheldon.lee@jkbconsultgroup.com
Comments