Rapid test kits that were recently donated to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) will not be used to make a diagnosis or identify a person infected with COVID-19, according to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, who says they will be used for screening and surveillance purposes.
“They [the rapid tests] will be used for screening and surveillance purposes and to estimate exposure because it [the rapid tests] wouldn’t tell you if you are currently infected,” Persaud told Stabroek News.
Approximately 46,250 IgG/IgM rapid tests were donated to the CDC by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). The rapid tests were handed over to the Ministry of Health subsequent to their arrival in the country last Wednesday.
