AMMAN — The
Ministry of Health will not allow
pharmacists or citizens to conduct rapid COVID-19 tests, also known as rapid
lateral flow tests (LFTs), to ensure that infection cases of the coronavirus
and its variants are monitored and counted across the Kingdom, according to a statement
by the prime minister’s adviser for Health Affairs, Adel Balbisi, to Al-Ghad
News.
اضافة اعلان
Balbisi explained that the ministry has taken
this stance on rapid testing at home as a means of ensuring that data remains
accurate as some citizens may not report their infection.
“The National Epidemiological Committee has
downplayed the fears surrounding the use of rapid
COVID-19 testing, arguing
that counting the numbers will not be an obstacle for the Ministry of Health. We
trust our citizens to report their infection,” the committee stated.
The LFT kit contains a disposable swab, test
cassette, waste bag, and an extraction buffer tube.
A nasopharyngeal sample is positioned on a
small pad that is absorbent, and then is drawn along the pad through a
capillary line to a strip that is coated in antibodies, which in turn binds to
SARS-Cov-2 proteins. The presence of proteins will yield a colored line, which
conveys that the patient is infected with COVID-19. They can cost anywhere
between JD7–10.
Compared to LFT, PCR tests can detect COVID-19
earlier and can detect infection for several days after the infectious period
with more accuracy.
Head of the Jordan Pharmacists Association
Zeid Kilani told Jordan News, the
association has been communicating with the ministry for months, requesting
that they allow the use of LFTs in homes and other places, including
pharmacies. “Our requests have been denied by the ministry, multiple times at
this point. The use of LFTs is by no means a rarity, because many other countries
allow it. Additionally, after someone conducts an LFT, they can confirm their
test result by referring to laboratories for further analysis.”
According to Kilani, the ministry has allowed
utilizing LFTs only in certain institutions, like hospitals, medical clinics,
and some other businesses. However, the ministry has not allowed pharmacies to
sell LFTs to citizens yet and has discouraged citizens from using the kit at
home.
The Jordan Pharmacists Association will
continue to negotiate with the ministry in the coming weeks, aiming to have
them reevaluate their stance on LFTs, Kilani noted. “Some countries apply LFTs
in their airports. We hope that the ministry rethinks its position. We will
keep on asking them until they hopefully change their position on this issue.”
Professor of Microbiology Ammar Almaayatah
told Jordan News that some countries allow ordering LFTs
for free, like the UK. “However, the effectiveness of LFTs depends mostly on
the quality of the specific LFT product,” he said.
This does not mean that LFTs are completely
useless, Almaaytah said, “because they can still detect infection in the case
of high viral load. Rapid tests can also be useful in the case of mass
infections, as seen in the UK, because they ease the pressure on laboratories.”
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