In the UK, those diagnosed with Covid with rapid antigen testing have been required to have a PCR test to confirm this diagnosis if they are asymptomatic.
In the statement made by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), it was stated that the change was due to the prevalence of the disease and the accuracy of rapid tests.
Due to the increase in Omicron variant cases, it has been difficult for those who test positive for rapid antigen tests to obtain a PCR test for confirmation.
The UK has the capacity to conduct more than 800,000 tests a day, and in December this capacity was close to its limits.
According to government data, on December 23, 622,948 PCR tests were performed, while on December 28, 630,768 tests were performed.
Test demand grew further in the first week of 2022, with 698,502 PCRs performed on January 6 and 613,696 on Sunday, January 9.
With the change, it is hoped that those who show symptoms and employees in health, transportation and other fields who have to be tested regularly will have easier access to the test.
PCR if one of the three symptoms is present
Those who showed one of the three main Covid symptoms, high fever, a new, persistent cough, and loss of taste and smell, were again asked to have a PCR test.
On Monday, daily testing of 100,000 critical workers in areas such as food processing, transportation and border security began.
The number of cases in the UK reached 218,724 last Tuesday, but there were 142,224 new infections later on Monday.
The UKHSA announcement of the decision stated that rapid antigen tests are “80% effective in detecting the most contagious people with the highest viral load”.
It was also emphasized that only three false positive results were obtained in every 10 thousand rapid antigen tests.
This requirement was also suspended during the January-March 2021 period, when the virus was prevalent before.
Those who test positive for rapid antigen but do not show symptoms still have to stay in quarantine for up to 10 days.
However, it is possible to exit quarantine with two negative tests on the sixth and seventh days, 24 hours apart.