Slovakia has bought 35 million tests in recent days. The result of a several-day meeting of experts at the Slovak Government Office was a list of measures and proposals, one of which was a proposal for the distribution of new antigen tests. The Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic agreed with this proposal and provided appropriate tests for which the Department asked the Office for Standardisation, Meteorology and Testing of the Slovak Republic for an exemption for self-testing. This will also contribute to slowing down the spread of the pandemic and help protect us all.
The purchase took place through the European Commission, where the Ministry's requirements were clearly defined, and on their basis tests were obtained by Brussels. Nevertheless, false or misleading claims about purchased tests are spreading among people.
What is the difference between the types of tests:
- The test is carried out from the tip of the nose, so the stick is shorter. The sample swab is larger and this makes the swab larger.- In the nasopharyngeal test, the swab is made from a nasopharyngeal and therefore the stick must be longer. At the same time, only a qualified health professional can perform these swabs.
What claims about purchased tests are spread and what is true:
Claim 1:
Standard Q Covid AG test (manufacturer Biosensor) is neither nasal nor self-testing.
Truth 1:
Standard Q Covid The Ag Test from Biosensor comes both nasal and nasopharyngeal. The deciding is a sampling swab which is either short (nasal) or long (nasopharyngeal).
(https://www.finddx.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/SDQ Nasal Ag-Public-Report 210119v1.pdf)
Several countries are working on a self-testing strategy for citizens by means of specific tests. This week the Czech Republic granted an exemption for the use of this product for self-testing (see attached document) and the Slovak Office for Standardisation, Metrology and Testing requested an exemption for this product. MZ SR provided all necessary documents for this derogation.
Claim 2:
The official STANDARD COVID-19 Ag FIA tests that the manufacturer has placed on the market are not self-testing.
Truth 2:

The abbreviation "FIA" means fluorescent immunoassay, i.e. the test is read using the fluorescent method in the instrument. However, according to the tampon (the pick bar), it can also be nasal, or nasopharyngeal. Tests are mostly used for testing in devices. MZ SR did not purchase tests to evaluate which apparatus is necessary and did not consider buying them for domestic testing.
Claim 3:
CLINITEST ® Rapid COVID-19 tests are nasal, but not self-testing.
Truth 3:
The German Federal Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medical Products has already issued an emergency authorisation to use this test as a self-test.
Claim 4:
Purchased tests have significantly lower accuracy.
Truth 4:
Nasal tests can only have a slightly lower accuracy, some studies even report higher accuracy. The collection is done from the front of the nose, but at the same time with a swab that hits a much larger area.
Claim 5:
The purchase of these tests is contrary to the recommendations of the European Commission.
Truth 5:
The European Commission accepts the use of antigen tests for self-testing in the new strategy. In its recommendation, the European Commission states: "If research shows that, under certain circumstances, rapid antigen tests may be carried out by a test person instead of a trained healthcare professional or other trained worker, self-testing with or without expert guidance may be considered.'
(source: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32021H0122 (01)&from=EN)
Moreover, the purchase of tests by the Slovak Republic itself was carried out by the European Commission.