The demand for antigen tests has grown among the Nicaraguan population, which sees in this rapid test an opportunity to confirm a covid-19 infection, or to comply with travel requirements at a lower cost. In Nicaragua, PCR tests remain centralized by the Ministry of Health (Minsa), that charges $150 for the exam to those who require it to travel.
In addition, antigen tests have become a very useful tool for independent doctors who previously resorted to other clinical tests to determine a positive case of covid-19. Rapid tests facilitate the confirmation of the diagnosis of the virus, better management and monitoring of patients, explained a source from the health sector on condition of anonymity.
“A rapid test, anywhere, greatly facilitates the handling, identification, tracking of people; and in this way, take the pertinent measures so as not to congest the (health) services”, commented the source.
Another doctor, who also asked not to be identified, pointed out that he uses these tests in his office. “They help me a lot to tell a patient you have covid or you don’t have covid, and that they can protect themselves.”
From the beginning of the pandemic, doctors and medical associations demanded that the Ortega regime decentralize PCR tests, but it ignored the requests. Instead, there is now a second Minsa laboratory dedicated to carrying out molecular tests.
The epidemiological bulletins, published late by the Minsa, revealed that during the first 20 months of the pandemic, the CNDR carried out a total of 128,163 PCR tests.
Access to tests
These tests are only acquired in Nicaragua in an almost clandestine way, because the entry and commercialization of rapid tests has not been authorized by the Minsa, according to a statement posted on its website.
In other cases, some have had access through relatives abroad or through the companies they work for. It is unknown how the citizens who market them on social networks obtain them. Costs range from $50 to $100, depending on the brand.
A rapid test vendor indicated that between December and January the demand for these tests increased. He calculates that a week he sold 38 to 50 proofs.
Several Nicaraguans have used this test to enter other countries and avoid paying the $150 at the National Center for Diagnosis and Reference (CNDR), at the “Conchita” Palacios National Health Complex.
Melissa Alemán paid 100 dollars for a home test to travel to Spain. He reported that the same travel agencies recommend customers to use this type of test and preferably cancel it in advance because they run out.
Alemán said that the cost of 100 dollars is still high compared to other countries, such as El Salvador, where the same rapid test can cost 20 dollars; however, he saved $50.
He said that he knew travelers who went to the CNDR for a PCR test for fear that an antigen test would not be admitted in the migration process.
Photo: courtesy
Quick test works before omicron
Rapid tests are cheap, the result is obtained in 15 minutes and anyone can do it from home. The sensitivity of the test varies depending on the brand, there are some that exceed 95% reliability. The doctors’ recommendation is that it be done in the first five days since the symptoms began, some suggest that it be done on the fifth day specifically, which is when there is more viral load. After that period it begins to decline and the test loses some of its effectiveness, explained a doctor.
In Nicaragua there is no possibility of going to a private laboratory and undergoing a test to confirm the diagnosis by PCR. In the public health system, the decision to perform it on the patient is at the discretion of the doctor. On several occasions, citizens have complained that they were not given a PCR test despite the fact that they were symptomatic. Therefore, many cases remain as suspects.
Antigen tests have been especially helpful with the emergence of the omicron variant of concern —which is already circulating in the country, as confirmed by PAHO on Wednesday., whose symptoms are similar to flu.
According to a doctor who has treated covid-19 patients, since the beginning of the pandemic, with the previous strains of the virus they knew that a person with a prolonged and severe condition was more compatible with covid-19, especially with some changes reflected through of laboratory tests and x-rays, but now, with “minor changes, it is practically impossible. The test is very good at detecting this variant.”
Gabriela Solano returned from a trip abroad a few weeks ago. He began to feel stuffy nose and cough. As a precaution, he isolated himself in his room and underwent a rapid test, which showed that he did not have the virus. The result gave him peace of mind because he assures that he fully complied with the instructions.
The same thing happened with “Karla”, 30 years old, who began to feel headaches and pain in her joints, dry cough and fever. She had three antigen tests—one cost her $50, the other two were given to her—at different times in the first five days, and each time the result was negative. Her main satisfaction is that she was able to return to her job and be at home —where the elderly live— with the certainty of not being infected.
The tests reflect two lines. If only one appears, the result is negative, if it shows both, the result is positive. Doctors do not rule out false negatives, therefore, they recommend that when the result comes out like this, the test is repeated in a few days.
A third medical source pointed out that the tests facilitate an accurate diagnosis, not having them means “the treatment is not adequate and the patient gets worse.”
