Massive screening, types of test, traceability of cases, active surveillance, capacity of our hospitals, these are the subjects on which Dr Louise Yvers, associate professor of global health and social medicine at the University of Havard, was called upon to express her opinion.
“There are two types of test that we are currently carrying out. The first is an antigen test capable of detecting the presence of the virus in a specific way, the second is an antibody test capable of detecting substances produced by an organism after coming into contact with the virus, ”said Dr Yvers in clear and precise language.
The antigen test tells you if you have the Covid-19 virus (SARS-Cov-19) at the time of collection, the antibody test tells you if you have been in contact with the virus.
The notion of test type and the number of tests are fundamental to understanding and fighting the Covid-19. It is however very complex.
To these preliminary notions of antigen test and antibody test, we must add the concepts of “False positive” and “False negative”.
The false positive is the probability that a person declared positive is actually negative. This probability is low with the antigen test currently performed in Haiti. The false negative is the probability that a person tested negative is actually positive. This probability is higher in the case of antibody tests presented in the form of a rapid test which has aroused much debate in society recently. Continue reading. https://lenouvelliste.com/article/215174/il-y-a-plusieurs-petites-epidemies-en-haiti-affirme-le-dr-louise-yvers-professeure-associee-a-luniversite-havard