Preparation for antigen self-test
1. Wash your hands. Wash your hands with running water or hand sanitizer.
2. Understand the test procedure. Carefully read the instructions for the antigen self-test reagent and the precautions related to antigen self-test.
3. Reagent preparation. Check whether the antigen self-test reagents are within the shelf life, check whether the contents of nasal swabs, sampling tubes, test cards, etc. are missing or broken. If the reagent expires or the contents of the reagent is missing, broken should be replaced in a timely manner testing reagents.
4. Confirm the test on the environmental temperature and humidity requirements. Colloidal gold test strips are generally required to test at 14 ℃ -30 ℃ room temperature conditions, to avoid too cold, too hot or excessively humid environment leading to abnormal test results. Place the antigen test card in a flat, clean place after removing the package.
Sample collection
1. Nasal swab sampling can be done by self-testing if you are 14 years of age or older. The self-tester should first blow his/her nose with toilet paper. Unpack the nasal swab carefully, avoiding hand contact with the swab head. Then tilt your head slightly, hold the end of the swab in one hand and enter one side of the nostril, and then slowly go backward along the bottom of the inferior nasal passage to a depth of 1-1.5 centimeters and then rotate the swab against the nasal passage at least four times, and then use the same swab to repeat the same operation on the other nasal passage. As shown in the figure below.
2. Self-examiners aged 2-14 years should be sampled by another adult. When sampling, the nose was blown off with toilet paper, and then the head was tilted slightly. The sampler should carefully unpack the nasal swab, avoid touching the swab head with his/her hands, gently support the head of the person to be sampled with one hand, and then enter one side of the nostril with the swab with one hand, and then rotate the swab at least 4 times along the bottom of the lower nasal passage and backward for 1 cm, and then repeat the same operation with the same swab for the other nasal passage.
Antigen detection
1. According to the instructions of the reagent, the nasal swab is immediately placed in the sampling tube after sample collection, and the swab head should be rotated and mixed in the preservation solution for at least 30 seconds, and at the same time, the swab head should be squeezed at least 5 times by hand through the outer wall of the sampling tube to ensure that the sample is sufficiently eluted in the sampling tube.
2. Discard the swab after squeezing the swab head dry by hand through the outer wall of the sampling tube. After the sampling tube is capped, drop the liquid vertically into the sample hole of the test card.
3. Wait for a certain period of time for the result to be read according to the instructions of the reagent. Positive results: "C" and "T" show red or purple bands, and the color of the band at "T" can be dark or light, all of which are positive results. Negative result: "C" shows a red or purple band, "T" shows no band. Invalid result: No red or purple band is shown at "C", regardless of whether a band is shown at "T" or not. Invalid result, need to retake the test strip and retest.
Waste disposal
1. Isolate the observer. Test results, whether negative or positive, all used sampling swabs, sampling tubes, test cards, etc. into a sealed bag by the management of the reference to medical waste or in accordance with the procedures for disposal.
2. Community residents. Negative test results, after the use of all the nasal swabs, sampling tubes, test cards, etc. into a sealed bag after the disposal as general garbage; positive test results in the transfer of personnel together with the medical institutions in accordance with the treatment of medical waste.