NHLS set to conduct COVID rapid test to monitor success of vaccines

The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) is set to conduct coronavirus rapid tests to see how successful vaccines are in the current South African environment.

Scientists say this was important in light of the emergence of the variant in this country.

The NHLS on Monday said although several rapid diagnostic tests were already available in the country, they were not consistently reliable.

The NHLS needs 300 volunteers, who’ve either tested positive for COVID-19 or people who were in contact with a positive case and yielded a negative test result afterwards.

Head and associate professor of Wits University’s Immunology Department Elizabeth Mayne said this was a continuation of a study that was rolled out last year to monitor antibodies.

“Post-coronavirus infections are now post-coronavirus vaccinations as well.”

Mayne said it was important to keep on gauging the performance of these test in the South African population.

She said researchers would obtain blood, saliva, and throat swabs from consenting participants.

-EWN

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