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ARCHIVED - Pharmacies will notify Murcian Health Service of any positive cases detected using antigen tests
Pharmacies in the region are now selling over the counter antigen tests
Pharmacies across the Region will notify the Murcian Health Service (SMS) of any positive cases of coronavirus detected through the antigen tests they carry out within pharmacies, in order to limit the further spread of new cases.
The Murcian regional Minister of Health, Juan José Pedreño, and the president of the Official College of Pharmacists of the Region of Murcia, Paula Payá, have signed an agreement entitled the 'Health Program for the performance of self-diagnostic tests for the detection of Sars-Cov-2 antigens in the pharmacy offices of the Region of Murcia ', which clearly lays out the protocols under which pharmacists may sell antigen tests across the counter.
This protocol includes provision so that pharmacists are able to offer free assistance to perform antigen self-diagnosis tests for those purchasing one of these tests and opt to receive help from the pharmacist to administer the test.
It also includes a provision that any positive results obtained will be communicated to the Murcian Health Service and that a report will be issued to the patient with the result of the test.
The speed in obtaining the results and the adequate sensitivity of these tests "are important to detect the presence of the virus in the first days of the infection the regional minister said, which "helps to stop the infections".
In the event that the patient opts to take the test at home, the pharmacists will give information about the protocol to be followed in the event of a positive result: home isolation and to request a Covid PCR testing appointment via Murciasalud.
Should the patient opt to take the test in the pharmacy, the purchaser will be given all the information regarding the procedure and data use and asked to sign an informed consent. Once the test result has been obtained, the pharmacy office will communicate the result to the patient, and will inform them about the hygienic and sanitary measures that the patient must adopt according to the result obtained.
The pharmacy office will record all the results through an application developed by COFRM exclusively for this purpose, which will guarantee the security of the data. The College will not have access to any identifying data of the patient, which is guaranteed through the appropriate encryption process. Once the test has been carried out and in the event of a positive result, the pharmacist will make the request for a PCR appointment with the registered family doctor or pediatrician as ‘suspected Covid’ for confirmation by PCR test through the applications established by the SMS.
This then ensures that the authorities are aware of the case and can carry out the necessary monitoring of the patient and trace known contacts, helping to limit the further spread of the virus.
Anyone wishing to test in the privacy of their home may of course, do so.