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Rapid tests for COVID-19, the best alternative for Ecuador

Abstract:

The respiratory disease COVID-19 caused by the SARS-Cov-2 virus has more than 18 million people infected and more than 600 thousand deaths worldwide, in Ecuador there are already more than 88 thousand infected. Being the fourth country with less diagnostic tests performed, Ecuador could face a delay in epidemiological research and an absence of real data from the affected population. There are two types of tests for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2: molecular tests that are the gold standard and are based on virus detection (qRT-PCR and RT-LAMP) and rapid tests that detect antibodies generated by the immune response. Both tests have pros and cons that make them complementary and increase their scope, since the population-focused is different. Molecular tests can detect the presence of the virus on average, one week before and up to one week after the onset of symptoms. However, what happens to asymptomatic individuals who did not undergo any type of diagnostic test and who do not know if they were infected or not, and at what time they were infected. For this group there are rapid tests that detect the immune response of the individual. That is how diagnostic tests become vital tools, complementing the studies of clinical pictures and the active search for asymptomatic individuals who have already passed the peak of viral load. Initially, the quarantine controlled the number of infected, but the economic dynamics have forced the population to leave their homes, and this is why new strategies are currently needed to minimize the effects of SARS-CoV-2. In conclusion, rapid tests would be a solution that would accelerate the identification and isolation of infected individuals, estimating the number of infections more accurately, allowing better decision-making and the development of public policies to counter the current pandemic.