HIQA publishes analysis of alternative Covid-19 testing methods for use in Ireland

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) have published an assessment of alternative Covid-19 testing methods.

They identified a number of diagnostic tests in development and already in use however, these tests will need to be clinically validated independently before they can be used as part of the national testing strategy for Covid-19.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) led by Dr Tony Holohan asked the HIQA to conduct the assessment.

Speaking about the report, Dr Máirín Ryan, HIQA’s Deputy CEO and Director of Health Technology Assessment, said: “The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified that testing for COVID-19 is critical to tracking the viral spread, understanding the epidemiology of the disease, informing case management and reducing transmission.

"To ensure that Ireland is ready to make the best use of emerging developments in this area, we assessed the available evidence for the alternative diagnostic tests, whether any of these tests are being used internationally, and when the tests could be deployed in the clinical pathway.”

The report said that the current test in Ireland, real-time RT-PCR, remains the "gold standard" for detecting and confirming coronavirus cases.

RT-PCR refers to "real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction". This type of testing detects Covid-19 particles to confirm a case.

Newer RT-PCR kits have the potential to shorten testing times and reduce pressure on laboratories and make faster clinical decision-making easier.

Antigen testing is available and is quicker however, it is generally less sensitive than RT-PCR, so any negative test may need confirmation with RT-PCR.

The report also identified antibody testing as a means to identify Covid-19 by detecting the body’s immune response to the infection.

The HIQA report can be read in full here