Since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic in 2020, the world has been carrying out large-scale virus testing. Among them, antigen detection kits have become the first choice for virus testing in many countries because of their fast, easy and accurate features. However, during the epidemic, the supply of antigen detection kits was far from meeting the market demand, leading to a situation where one box was hard to find in China.
What is an antigen detection kit?
Antigen detection kit is a kind of kit used to detect viral antigen. It determines whether the body is infected with a virus by detecting the antigenic content of the virus in the body. Compared with the traditional nucleic acid detection method, antigen detection kit has the advantages of fast, accurate and easy. Therefore, it became the preferred method for virus detection in many countries during the epidemic.
Operating steps of antigen detection kit
The operating steps of antigen detection kit are relatively simple, generally including the following steps:
Collection of samples: Nasopharyngeal swabs or throat swabs are generally used to collect samples.
Sample addition: the collected sample is added to the kit.
Mixing: mix the sample and reagent in the kit well.
Drop-in: add the stirred mixture dropwise into the detection well of the kit.
Waiting: Wait for a certain period of time and observe whether there is a color change in the detection hole.
Reading: Judge whether the sample is positive or negative according to the reading criteria in the kit manual.
Why is it so hard to find a box of antigen in China?
The shortage of supply of antigen test kits is mainly due to the following reasons:
The global outbreak of the epidemic and the large-scale virus testing in various countries have led to a significant increase in the demand for antigen test kits.
The production of antigen detection kits takes a lot of time and cost, and the production capacity is limited, making it difficult to meet the market demand.
The governments of some countries and regions have adopted policies to restrict exports, leading to a decrease in the import of antigen detection kits.
Some merchants and individuals have engaged in hoarding and snapping up antigen detection kits for the sake of profiteering, leading to an even greater shortage of market supply.
How to avoid the waste of antigen detection kits?
When using antigen detection kits, we should pay attention to the following points to avoid waste:
Follow the operating steps in the instruction manual to avoid operational errors.
Perform quality control before testing to ensure that the quality of the kit meets the requirements.
Avoid repeated testing of the same sample to avoid wasting the kit.
Before testing, perform nucleic acid testing to rule out the possibility of false negatives.