Physicians Order Urges Increasing Rapid Coronavirus Tests

The Lebanese Order of Physicians and its Society for Infectious Diseases & Antimicrobial Chemotherapy on Monday said there is urgent need to increase the number of lab tests related to the coronavirus pandemic, especially rapid tests.

“Rapid tests are much cheaper than PCR tests and they complement them when necessary,” LOP and the Society for Infectious Diseases said in a statement.

“It is possible to verify the quality of rapid tests at the laboratories of university hospitals prior to approving them – within a day or two – instead of keeping them at the airport,” the statement said.

“They must be used under the supervision of doctors and must be free of charge, if possible,” it added, calling for ensuring social justice and proper geographical distribution as to the availability of tests.

Moreover, the LOP and the Society for Infectious Diseases warned that putting the rapid tests at the disposal of the people without direct supervision and follow-up by a physician is “a dangerous thing that threatens misinterpretation of the results, especially negative ones.”

They also noted that “rapid tests are not in any way a diagnosis method and certainly need to be verified at accredited centers.”