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Date Published: 16/12/2021

ARCHIVED - Sales of antigen tests soar in Spain but experts warn of false sense of security

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

Purchases of antigen tests in Spain skyrocketed 115% in November, although epidemiologists warn “the results are not always conclusive”

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Sales of antigen tests soar in Spain but experts warn of false sense of security

As the upward trajectory continues and the epidemic curve picks up once again in Spain, sales of self-diagnostic Covid antigen tests have skyrocketed with more than 1.3 million sold in pharmacies in November – up 115% on the previous month – according to data compiled by health consultancy, Iqvia.

As Christmas approaches, coupled with the rise of a new wave, the 14-day cumulative incidence rate in Spain now stands at 442 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, partly due to a surge in testing.

But epidemiologists are warning that whilst self-diagnostic tests can detect positive cases, they are not infallible and can give false negatives.

The experts claim this generates a false sense of security and stressed that taking a test does not mean other measures should be ignored, such as the use of masks indoors and in crowds, social distancing and good ventilation.

Antigen tests, which have been available over-the-counter in pharmacies since last summer, identify the presence of virus proteins and, according to the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS), there are around 20 devices on the market.

The consultancy firm, Iqvia, has calculated that in 2021, 8.7 million tests were dispensed in pharmacies, and that sales fluctuate in line with the epidemic curve.

In July and August, during the fifth wave, 1.5 and 1.9 million self-testing tests were sold respectively, and in September and October – when the epidemic curve was falling and virus contagion was subsiding slightly – sales dropped to less than one million per month.

Now, with the rise of the sixth wave, the approach of Christmas and the threat of the omicron variant, which experts fear is more transmissible, the stockpile of self-testing antigen tests has returned.

In light of the new wave, president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, announced a fortnight ago that every registered resident in the region would receive a free test, “so that social gatherings can be done safely”.

But a number of epidemiologists are wary of this massive use of this type of test.

Daniel López-Acuña, former director of Emergencies at the World Health Organisation (WHO), warns that “they do not have the same specificity [the product’s ability to recognise the absence of the marker linked to the disease] and sensitivity [the competence of the test to detect the presence of that marker] as PCR.”

“We can't say for sure that it’s a definite yes or no, but at the same time these tests cannot be used as an excuse not to take a PCR test, or for not getting vaccinated and having a Covid passport in order, wearing masks and social distancing,” he added.

Examples of false results include a massive outbreak in Málaga on the Costa del Sol, where more than 80 diners were found to be positive after testing negative with an antigen test.

But this isn’t new news. In fact, the Ministry of Health clarified last summer that a positive result using a self-diagnostic test will be considered a “suspected case” and that infection will have to be confirmed with another test.

But it’s extremely difficult to monitor or control “individual responsibility”.

According to the central government’s Alerts Panel, pharmacies must provide clear information on how to proceed if the result is positive, including isolating and notifying the health service, but the ultimate decision is up to the user.

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