Once relevant symptoms appear, even if the nucleic acid test is negative, it should not be taken lightly.
On May 4th, at the nucleic acid testing point in Hehua Square, Hongmiaobeili Community, Chaoyang District, Beijing, residents conduct nucleic acid testing. Photo by Beijing News reporter Wang Fei
Text | Yu Ran
On May 4, at the press conference on the prevention and control of the new coronavirus pneumonia in Beijing, Beijing Municipal Disease Prevention and Control Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the control center and a member of the national new coronavirus pneumonia expert group, introduced that the analysis of the epidemic situation found that many cases of infected people had respiratory symptoms and the nucleic acid test was still negative.
Since the outbreak of the epidemic in my country, nucleic acid testing has always been an effective means of precise prevention and control. It is the first line of defense to actively screen asymptomatic infections and implement the “four early” requirements. Control the spread of the epidemic from the source. In this round of Beijing epidemic, many infected people have symptoms but the nucleic acid test is still negative. It is easy for the infected to mistake it for a common cold, which makes it difficult to prevent and control the epidemic, and is not conducive to the implementation of the “Four Mornings”. “There may even be a risk of expanding the spread of the virus.
To this end, Pang Xinghuo reminded the public that during the high epidemic period, once symptoms such as fever, dry cough, expectoration, sore throat, fatigue, diarrhea, abnormal sense of taste or smell occur, even if the nucleic acid test is negative, it is still not acceptable. Take it lightly.
In fact, this is not the first time such a situation has occurred. In the early stage of the outbreak in my country, relevant parties have noticed false negatives in nucleic acid testing, and the new coronavirus itself is constantly mutating, which is also a factor affecting the efficiency of nucleic acid testing. In fact, the detection rate of any viral nucleic acid test cannot be 100%. The detection rate may not only be related to the severity of the patient’s condition and the development stage of the disease course, but also to various factors such as sample collection and laboratory testing conditions.
Some experts also said, “At present, there is no problem that the detection accuracy of the Ormicon strain has decreased. When this happens, it is necessary to pay attention to whether there is a problem in the detection and sampling process.”
It is worth noting that although the nucleic acid test of infected persons is negative, they are still infectious, which also puts forward higher requirements for the continuous improvement of epidemic prevention work.
First of all, for people with symptoms and negative nucleic acid tests, relevant departments need to further strengthen dynamic monitoring to prevent the hidden spread of the virus.
Secondly, residents with respiratory symptoms, especially those with fever symptoms, should go to the nearest fever clinic for medical treatment in time to make a clear diagnosis. Even if the nucleic acid test result is negative, it must not be careless. It is also necessary to abandon the fluke and take precautionary measures to the maximum extent while doing a good 7-day health monitoring. For example, wear a mask at all times, stay away from crowds when sneezing, do not take public transportation when going out, keep a distance from others, and try not to go out at home.
In addition, we must also pay close attention to the dynamics of epidemic prevention and control, and pay attention to the travel trajectories of confirmed cases and asymptomatic infected persons that have been announced. Confidential information.
In the process of nucleic acid detection and sampling, staff also need to do a good job in organizational management and order maintenance, and at the same time take samples in strict accordance with the sampling specifications. In addition to setting up multi-channel detection points according to conditions, channels for risk groups can also be set up separately to strengthen pre-test inquiries and focus on testing using separate kits.
For people with existing symptoms, in addition to adopting continuous and intensive testing measures to prevent missed testing, a nasopharyngeal swab test method, which is more accurate than oropharyngeal swabs, can also be used. In qualified communities, it is advisable to provide antigen detection reagents for residents with respiratory symptoms for early detection, early diagnosis and treatment.
At present, Beijing still finds sporadic hidden infected people in the society in the regional nucleic acid screening, indicating that the chain of transmission of the epidemic has not been completely blocked, and the whole society still needs to strengthen the awareness of prevention and control. In the face of emerging new challenges, only by taking good care of every epidemic prevention link, preventing every risk in detail, and implementing various epidemic prevention and control work, can we plug possible loopholes to the maximum extent and make the virus nowhere to escape.
Writing/Yuan Ran (media person)
Editor/Liu Yunyun
Proofreading/Wang Xin