Covid, ok molecular salivary tests for schools, Rsa and health care

Covid in Italy, molecular salivary tests can be used “as part of screening activities in children involved in the Sars-CoV-2 circulation monitoring plan in the school setting, for the screening of case contacts in children even if the school is not part of the monitoring plan, in health and social-health workers in the context of scheduled screenings in the workplace or in frail individuals (symptomatic or asymptomatic) with little ability to collaborate (for example the elderly in Rsa, the disabled, people with disorders of the autism spectrum). This is what clarified by the circular signed by the Director General of Prevention of the Ministry of Health, Giovanni Rezza. The experts of the ministry instead confirm that “rapid antigenic tests on saliva, on the basis of the available evidence, are not moment recommended as an alternative to oral-nasopharyngeal swabs, as they do not reach the minimum acceptable levels of sensitivity and specific ity. Furthermore – they continue – antigenic tests on salivary matrix are currently excluded from the common European list of rapid antigenic tests valid for obtaining the green Covid-19 certification. Some scientific evidence is emerging regarding the possible use of salivary antigen tests based on measurement with laboratory instruments, which however are still being evaluated “for such applications. The Ministry of Health – in the circular ‘Update of the indications on the use of the tests salivaries for the detection of Sars-CoV-2 infection, with particular reference to the monitoring of viral circulation in the school setting ‘- reiterates however that “the molecular test on nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal respiratory sample still remains the international’ gold standard ‘ for the diagnosis of Covid-19 in terms of sensitivity and specificity “. The circular also specifies that in the event of a positive molecular salivary test” it will not be necessary to carry out a confirmation test on a nasopharyngeal-oropharyngeal sample “, the experts recall. use of the molecular saliva test in the context of school screening, the circular points out that “taking into account the ease of sample collection and the advantages deriving from the minimization of the intervention of health personnel, the collection of the salivary sample, as part of the school monitoring plan of the Saes-CoV-2 circulation, can also be carried out with methods of self-collection at home by parents-guardians (if provided for self-collection by the manufacturer and in accordance with the legislation on medical devices and regional provisions), following a preventive training process to achieve the necessary confidence with collection devices “.