Rapid antigen testing failure in TT

KENWYN NICHOLLS

A LETTER published in the December 7 newspapers sought to promote the rapid antigen test as the true and tried weapon to substantially reduce the risk of spreading the covid19 virus at mass gatherings such as office parties, live performances and sporting events. The writer referenced the use of the antigen tests across the globe, including for official entry into many countries – for example, Antigua and Barbuda and the US – sporting venues, wedding receptions, etc.

The letter rued the fact that in the run-up to the festive seasons, the pronouncements by covid19 decision makers in TT, although laced with numerous and diverse public health measures to militate against viral spread – selected venues, insistence on patrons being fully vaccinated, physical distancing, etc – had up to that point missed a critical option: rapid antigen tests, which in the US have now rivalled (and may have surpassed) full vaccination as the critical issue in the important areas of school and workplace attendance.

The rapid antigen test is regarded by decision makers in many countries as an important tool in the thrust to get their economies back to vibrancy.

A rapid antigen test result is available within 30 minutes and can be conducted at the event venue, or off-site at an approved testing facility. If the latter, participants would have to produce a certificate showing a negative test result, which is valid for a 24-hour period, including the duration of the event.

Participants of multi-day events will have to undergo daily testing, but people attending multiple events within 24 hours need have only one test. Those who test positive must self-isolate and go for a free PCR confirmatory swab at a public health facility.

Since December 2020, the antigen test has been used in Singapore in pre-testing for events that include wedding receptions, live performances and sport activities, as well as by companies for their workforces and business-to-business events. Singapore’s economy is booming.

As I write the governor of Massachusetts in the US has ordered the distribution of 26 million rapid antigen test kits to school districts and parents of schoolchildren for his newly minted “Test and Stay” programme, the thrust being early identification by parents and school staff of students who may be ill. Miami Carnival has come and gone and Grand Kadooment (Barbados carnival) is scheduled to take place on August 1.

All the foregoing were made possible because the decision makers in those jurisdictions have explored ways to safely subordinate the usual public health measures (physical distancing, vaccination, wearing of masks, etc), however temporary, to rapid antigen testing.

It has bothered me that since the start of the pandemic the common vein running through all the Government’s policies, programmes and action plans has been to make life as hard as possible for the man in the street. Lockdowns were continued in May 2020, long after it was clear that there was no community spread of the virus.

Dr Anthony Fauci, head of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in August 2020 confirmed that sunlight kills covid19 and that he walks daily without a mask, only pulling it up if he becomes engaged in conversation. Yet in our hot climate and high humidity (hostile to the survival of most flu viruses), we continue to wear masks outdoors. Why are family members charged for not wearing masks in the family car?

As I did my evening walk around the Queen’s Park Savannah on Tuesday, I was twice passed by police-escorted buses returning youthful cricketers to the Hilton Hotel; so there are ways to progress the economy, even here in TT. Then I watched the nightly news on TV as our Minister of Sport (like the Minister of Culture before her) outlined the conditions (rules and regulations) for the restart of competitive sporting activities. Her proposals, in my opinion, all but guarantee that, like a Taste of Carnival, there would not be much uptake by potential participants.

Will the TT decision makers ever get any aspect in the management of the pandemic right? The Minister of Health pronounced in October 2020 that the rapid antigen test would be a game changer. When is that going to happen?