Taking a cue from countries like South Korea, more countries are moving to mass rapid tests to contain the corona virus spread now, as more and more experts are calling for such extensive tests as the only way out.
United States, which is the hardest hit country will go for the mass tests. More than 70 companies have signed up to sell so-called antibody tests in recent weeks.
Countries are taking steps for the tests with finger-prick of blood on a test strip to ascertain the extent of the spread. Philippines has already announced a mass and targeted tests, from tomorrow.
The lessons from China also reiterate the need for more tests. China had conducted over well over 320,000 tests by the end of March itself, to flatten the curve.
Germany, equipped with sufficient kits, signed up politically to mass testing from the beginning, resulting in it being able to do 12,000 tests daily. But South Korea showed the world how important is mass testing.
The country prioritised identifying and isolating people testing positive for the disease, and developed capacity to run about 15,000 diagnostic tests a day. It has conducted more than 300,000 tests to date, free of charge, including in drive-through testing booths since replicated elsewhere.
Italy has done the most testing, with about 200,000 tests. These included all 3,000 residents of the town of Vò, near Venice, in a pilot project designed to see if whole-community testing could help slow the spread of the disease.
The Us government said Friday it has started testing 10,000 volunteers. The White House has not outlined a broader plan for testing and how the results might be used.
