Deconfinement will only be successful with mass testing, according to experts.
According to standard 019/2020 in force, “for the control of community transmission, regular laboratory screening is recommended in municipalities with a 14-day cumulative incidence of more than 480/100,000 inhabitants in secondary education establishments for students, teaching and non-teaching staff; in prisons for prisoners and professionals; and in occupational contexts with high social exposure (namely factories, construction, among others) for respective professionals”.
And in these situations, “rapid antigen tests should be used every 14/14 days”.
Massive and periodic testing, introduced by Harvard epidemiologist Michael Mina, adopts the principle of not waiting for infections to occur before testing, but doing so in advance and periodically on large groups of asymptomatic people.
Regular weekly testing alone reduces the rate of Rt transmission by around 50%.
Prevention rather than cure, not waiting but acting, could be the key to maintaining the pace of deconfinement and the gradual return to a normal life.
SEPRI is already implementing the Massive and Periodic Testing Program (PTMP) in more than 54 companies and organizations.
The PTMP is aimed at both the public and private sectors and includes two testing options:
-
Laboratory Analyzed Antigen Test: 12h-24h results
-
Rapid Antigen Test: results 15m-20m
Frequent screenings make it possible:
-
early detection of transmission chains
-
quickly isolate a positive case
-
allow healthy employees to continue working, avoiding productivity losses
-
maintaining healthy and safe workplaces
Contact us: geral@sepri.pt
