April 18, 2024

Athens News

News in English from Greece

Self-test: what to do if the result is positive

Since the weekly self-test for coronavirus is entering our lives from the end of next week, we need to know what to do if the answer is positive. Self-diagnostic tests are expected to be available in pharmacies in a week, and if a positive result is found, we will have to perform a specific procedure. In particular, according to Deputy Minister of Health Vasilis Kontosamanis, we must immediately announce a positive result on the platform selftesting.gov.grwhich is on air but will start working next Wednesday. Then, depending on the status of each citizen, i.e. whether he is working or studying, an appropriate certificate will be issued or an email / SMS sent so that the person can take a new test, this time in the medical structure. At the same time, those who must pass the self-test, and in the event of a negative result, must also responsibly declare that they have done so. Adults must act on their own behalf, and minors must be acted upon by their parents or guardians. According to Mr. Kontosamanis, on April 2, the first batch of self-tests was delivered to Greece, and in the next two weeks they will be available in full, necessary for testing the entire population of the country. According to Professor Gikas Mallorkinis, a person who tested positive for coronavirus should be isolated at home. In particular, he stressed that we are choosing an isolated room where the infected person will be, without interfering with the movement of others. The professor emphasized that an infected person should not go to the kitchen and cook food. Other people should prepare or deliver food for him and leave it at the door of the room. He also noted that the home must have adequate ventilation and that the infected person should avoid common areas or wear a highly protective mask when in them.

According to the government’s plan, the self test program will start on April 5. During its validity, each citizen will have the right to free up to 4 express tests per month, once a week. Recall that the bill on measures to combat the pandemic presented yesterday stipulates that a diagnostic test will be mandatory for certain groups.

How self test is done

Mr Kostas Mariakis, an importer of medical equipment, spoke in detail on the ERT channel about the self-test process. As he explained, the process is quite simple, you need to follow these steps:

Disinfect your hands and lower the mask. Insert a Q-tip into your nose about 4-5 cm. Rotate 5-6 times and repeat the same for the other nostril. Open the bottle with the liquid contained in the self test package and dip a cotton swab into it. Hold the sample in it for about 15 seconds, “stirring”. Then, holding a cotton swab in the middle, remove it from the bottle. Then we throw it into a special bag (not into the trash bin!). Let’s open the next one-time package, where the self test itself is located (on which the result will be visible). From a bottle of liquid, apply 4 drops to the first hole of the self test. We throw the used materials into a special bag.

How to “read” the self-test result
According to Mr. Mariakis, the self-test result appears after about 15 minutes. “If there is one line, then the result is negative. If two are positive. In case of a positive result, the citizen will need to additionally do a coronavirus test in a medical institution in order to confirm or deny the results of self-testing, ”the specialist noted.





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