#NASSAU, The Bahamas — November 11, 2020 – Minister of Health the Hon. Renward Wells explained that controlling the transmission of COVID-19 requires a combination of strategies and one part of that strategy is testing.
“The Ministry of Health’s
testing protocol is expanding. Although the RT PCR test remains the gold
standard in-country to diagnose COVID-19, selected Rapid Antigen Tests are now
being incorporated in our protocol to detect an acute infection of COVID-19 in
patients who are experiencing symptoms,” Minister Wells said during the COVID-19
Update press conference at the Ministry of Health, Friday, November 6, 2020.
He stated that despite
being less sensitive than the RT-PCR test, rapid antigen testing is relatively
inexpensive and provides rapid results. This type of testing has the potential
to provide wider access to COVID-19 testing at an acceptable turnaround time
when there is limited access to RT-PCR testing.
The Minister noted that currently,
there are two antigen tests that have been granted World Health Organization
Emergency Use Authorization –
the SD Biosensor; and
the Abbott PanBIO rapid antigen tests.
“Both these tests have
been independently validated and found to have high sensitivity and specificity
in symptomatic persons.
“The only drawback is
that there are currently no published studies of rapid antigen test performance
in asymptomatic populations.”
He said, “The Ministry of
Health wishes to advise that any antigen test used in The Bahamas must meet 4
criteria as outlined in the National Protocol. The test should –
be administered by trained healthcare providers; undergo local
validation before use;
be performed with continuous quality assurance and applicable biosafety
precautions; and
be performed by a facility that has been certified by the Health Care
Facilities Board.”
Minister Wells stated to make
a COVID-19 test available to a wider cross-section of Bahamians, the Ministry
continues to explore other testing strategies.
He explained that the
Saliva Test for COVID-19 is an alternative to the current nasal swabbing
protocol. The Saliva test is an easy alternative to test symptomatic and
asymptomatic persons by RT-PCR.
“This test is a
streamlined version of the RT-PCR test. This is because it is –
cheaper than the currently used swab-based RT-PCR test;
it does not involve swabbing the nose or throat of people; or
it does not require viral extraction in the lab.
The Minister said the
saliva samples are easily obtained and stored at refrigerator temperature for one
week. A swab can only be preserved for three days. This method offers benefits
to the Family Islands for easy storage and transport.
He noted that recently,
the National COVID-19 Ethics Committee approved the SalivaDirect test to
undergo an evaluation, by being piloted within New Providence and selected
Family Islands. The study will be targeting asymptomatic persons.
“In this pilot evaluation
exercise, consenting participants will be swabbed as normal, and a saliva
sample will be obtained at the same time. This way we can compare the results
and measure the accuracy of the saliva-based method against the swab method.
“This pilot is anticipated to proceed
during November. The National Reference Laboratory will present its findings
and recommendations as it relates to the performance of and potential future
use of the SalivaDirect Test.”
Minister Wells said, “We hope to be able to utilize the Saliva test to enhance access to testing in the community as well as introduce greater cost efficiencies into the national testing policy in The Bahamas.”