Self-tests for the detection of Covid-19 in Brazil can help the country at this time of great spread of the coronavirus, according to Carlos Eduardo Gouvêa, executive president of the Brazilian Confederation of Laboratory Diagnostics (CBDL).
In an interview with CNN this Wednesday (19), Gouvêa regretted the decision of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) to ask the federal government for more data to allow the use of self-tests in the country.
He said that self-tests can complement the use of antigen tests and RT-PCR, preventing asymptomatic people, but who are unsure whether they have the disease, from looking for health environments and ending up becoming infected.
In addition, Gouvêa said that the technical note issued by the Ministry of Health on the subject would be enough for a release.
“Anvisa’s legislation says that you must have a request from the Ministry of Health and a pandemic situation. Theoretically, the technical note would already give space to move forward”, he said.
If it were approved today, the estimate was to deliver the first self-tests in mid-February, before Carnival, a period that should still register agglomerations, according to the president of CDBL.
Thus, a stock of self-tests is only planned for March or April, as they cannot be manufactured or imported without Anvisa registration and requirements.
Gouvêa concluded by informing that in the coming weeks a large number of antigen and RT-PCR tests should arrive in Brazil.
Reference: CNN Brasil
