Rapid home coronavirus tests could be approved for use in Israel as early as Tuesday, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said Monday.
“We are just reviewing and approving the regulations,” he told The Jerusalem Post.
Over the weekend, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett promised Israelis that rapid home coronavirus tests would be available “in the coming days.”
Home-testing kits are already available in many countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, Italy and France.
For Israelis, who likely have not yet had access to a home coronavirus test, the Post explains what these home tests will look like and how citizens will get and use them:
Home-testing kits are likely to be sold in pharmacies, according to Israel Pharmaceutical Association chairman David Pappo, who owns his own pharmacy in Ramle.
The kits will be purchased from commercial companies abroad and imported into the country via various distributors, some of which are already well known and distribute other rapid tests in Israel, such as Rimipharm Group, which represents the American company Quidel in Israel.
Quidel produces the Sofia rapid antigen tests that were used in various capacities during the last coronavirus wave. It is also well known for its QuickVue In-Line Strep A Test. The company has been collaborating with the Health Ministry and health funds for around 30 years.
Although no final pricing has been released, tests are expected to cost around NIS 20 each and could be sold in packs of one, two or even five for large families.
The home tests will not replace gold-standard PCR tests, Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash said Monday.
“Someone who comes out positive in a quick test will then need to do a PCR test to confirm the diagnosis, and then all the requirements, like isolation, etc., will be required,” he said.
An individual who tests positive using a home test will need to quarantine until he takes the PCR test, Ash said.
“We will put out the regulations when the tests enter the marketplace,” he said.
The first kit likely to enter the marketplace is Quidel’s QuickVue home test, which was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in March and provides results in 10 minutes, Pappo told the Post, adding that it is considered 99.3% accurate.
The company submitted the test for approval by the Health Ministry four months ago and is expected to receive affirmation “within hours or days,” a company representative told the Post.
How does QuickVue work?
After washing your hands or using hand sanitizer:
1. Remove the contents from the kit, and confirm they are all there. The kit includes step-by-step instructions, a prefilled tube, nasal swab and test strip.
2. Remove the cap from the tube, and place it back into the tray in a predefined hole labeled “tube holder.”
3. Open the nasal-swab packet, and remove the swab by the handle. Then, insert the swab into your nose about half an inch to three-quarters of an inch, and rub around in a circular motion. Repeat in the second nostril.
4. Place the swab in the tube, and swirl it around three or four times. Then leave it there for one minute.
5. Carefully remove the swab from the tube, rotating it along the inner wall of the tube to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
6. Open the test-strip packet.
7. Place the test strip into the tube for 10 minutes.
8. Remove the test trip and place it on the strip on the instruction sheet. Be sure to read your results within five minutes.
Positive is indicated by a blue-and-pink line, negative by a blue line alone and invalid if there is no blue line (even if there is a pink line) or the strip is blank.
ANOTHER TEST for which the Health Ministry has been asked for approval is even easier to use: InteliSwab by OraSure Technologies. “We are just waiting for the paperwork to be complete,” a company representative said.
This test received FDA approval last month. It is considered 98% accurate and takes up to 30 minutes to provide results.
InteliSwab comes with a one-piece smart swab and a tube.
1. The swab is placed inside each nostril, where it is rubbed around in a circular motion.
2. Then it is placed inside the test tube and swirled around.
3. The test tube sits for up to 30 minutes, and the results are revealed.
It is unclear what other companies might be aiming to enter the Israeli marketplace since Bennett’s announcement. One of the above companies requested a list of potential competitors from the Health Ministry but did not receive a response, the Post learned.
“We receive thousands of inquiries from parents and educational institutions who are looking for immediate and accessible solutions,” Rimipharm Group marketing and sales manager Sagi Yaniv said.
When these tests are available, they could revolutionize life under coronavirus.
“Let’s say you want to visit your elderly parents, and you have symptoms,” Pappo suggested. “You take a simple test. If it is negative, you can go visit them.”
The tests could also be used in offices with large numbers of employees. For instance, staff could be asked to do a home test twice a week and present their negative test to the company to keep the workspace COVID-19 free.
“If you know you are negative for COVID, you are much more at peace, more confident,” Pappo said. “You can go visit your parents with peace of mind or bring your children to visit them. This could normalize everyday life in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic.”