This week you will draft your Landscape section based on the interviews

Corona Virus

Name

Institution

Course

Date

Thank you for taking time to meet with me today at your magnificent boardroom. My name is ......................and Iam a student at the at the....................................As part of our course requirement, we need to conduct a brief interview seeking your opinion about MOST EFFECTIVE COVID TESTING AND WAY. All interviews are anonymous. I will only take a few notes to make sure I accurately represent your opinion.

If you want to know if you are currently infected with COVID-19 virus, there are two most effective types of test: molecular test and antigen testing. Let’s start by Molecular testing (Also called PCR test, Viral RNA test, nucleic acid test).How is done? This is done through nasal swabs, throat swabs, and test of Saliva or other body fluids. Where can you get this test? This can be done at a hospital, in medical office, in your car or even at home. What does the test look for? Molecular test look for genetic material that comes only from the virus. How long does it take to get the results? This depends on lab capacity .Results may be ready the same day, but usually takes at least a day or two. Throughout the pandemic, especially lately, delayed turnaround times of up to a week or two have been reported in many places. What about accuracy of the test? The reported rate of false negative is as low as 2% and as high as 37%.Most false –positive results are thought to be due to lab contamination or other problems with how the lab has performed the test, not limitations of the test itself.

We also have another way of testing known as Antigen test. How is it done? This is also a nasal or throat swab. Where can one get this test done? These tests can be done at a hospital or doctor’s office (though it is very likely home testing will be soon available).How long does it take to get the results? The technology involves is similar to a pregnancy test or a rapid strep test, with results available in minutes. What does the test look for? The test indentifies protein fragments (antigens) from the virus. What about the accuracy of the test? The reported rate of false negative results is as high as 50%, which is why antigen test are not favoured by the FDA as a single test for active infection. However the FDA recently provided emergency use authorization for a more accurate antigen test. Because antigen testing is quicker, less expensive and requires less technology to perform than molecular testing, some experts recommend repeated antigen testing as a reasonable testing strategy. According to one testing manufacturer, the false positive rate of antigen testing is near zero.

“I appreciate your concerns about my experience .Despite the minimal experience we have on the corona virus, I learned more about them when I saw this interview coming. I believe that the world at large will come up with more advanced ways of testing the diseases to help save live” Please remember all that we have discussed and share the information with your colleges when you get back. Thank you for your time and God bless u.

References

Peeling, R. W., Wedderburn, C. J., Garcia, P. J., Boeras, D., Fongwen, N., Nkengasong, J., ... & Heymann, D. L. (2020). Serology testing in the COVID-19 pandemic response. The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Beeching, N. J., Fletcher, T. E., & Beadsworth, M. B. (2020). Covid-19: testing times.

Peto, J., Alwan, N. A., Godfrey, K. M., Burgess, R. A., Hunter, D. J., Riboli, E., ... & Smith, G. D. (2020). Universal weekly testing as the UK COVID-19 lockdown exit strategy. The Lancet, 395(10234), 1420-1421.