PHOTOS: Sergio Betancort
The rapid tests that were received last week in Lanzarote have begun to be used this Wednesday in nursing homes, both among users and workers in these centers. According to the Ministry of Health, in the last hours 60 samples have been collected in residences on the island.
In addition, more than 600 have been collected throughout the Canary Islands. Of these, 125 have been in Fuerteventura, where the study of all people linked to this type of institution has already been completed. For its part, in Gran Canaria samples were taken from some 240 people and in Tenerife from another 200, while on Thursday it is also planned to reach La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro, until completing the screening in all residences. In total, according to the Ministry, a population of almost 10,000 people will be reached between users and workers.
"This screening is in addition to the direct actions that have been carried out in those residences where cases have occurred," say the Canarian Government, which has confirmed two new deaths of residence users. In total, so far there have been ten deaths from four residences, all of them located in Tenerife.
This screening has as its primary objective the detection of possible asymptomatic positive cases that may occur in these residences. "As a secondary, but no less important, objective, the screening will determine the immunity status of residents and workers in the centers against the COVID-19 coronavirus," they specify from the Ministry. This screening is carried out with both PCR and antibody diagnostic tests, according to the epidemiological assessment of the cases. And it is that unlike PCR, rapid tests do not detect the virus but the antibodies that the body generates to fight the disease, so for their results to be useful, two weeks must have passed since it was contracted.
The work of both screening and control has been coordinated between the General Directorate of Public Health and the Ministry of Social Rights, which in turn coordinates with the island councils. This approach has the participation of the reference hospitals, the Primary Care managements and the Canary Islands Emergency Service (SUC).
