Is The Rapid Antigen Test Policy Effective In Suppressing COVID-19 On Year-End Holidays?

Illustration (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The COVID-19 Handling Task Force is currently drafting regulations regarding the requirements for travelers in the form of rapid antigen test results to reduce the rate of spread of COVID-19.

However, a number of provinces have advanced ahead of time to impose requirements for rapid antigen tests. First, DKI Jakarta. The area led by Anies Baswedan has made it mandatory for all people who leave and enter Jakarta to carry out a rapid antigen test for COVID-19 during the Christmas and New Year 2021 holidays.

The requirements for rapid antigen test apply in air, sea, and bus terminals for three weeks, from 18 December 2020 to 8 January 2021. Meanwhile, railways are valid from 18 December 2020 to 4 January 2021.

"For those who are going to buy tickets, prospective passengers are required to carry out a rapid antigen test. This applies to both air transport, sea transportation, railways and bus terminals," said Head of the DKI Transportation Agency, Syafrin Liputo, Thursday, December 17.

Second, Bali Province. The area led by I Wayan Koster, requires road trips to Bali to carry out a rapid antigen test on D-2 or 2x24 hours before departure. Meanwhile, airplane passengers to Bali are required to take a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) swab test on D-2 before departure.

This is in accordance with the Circular of the Governor of Bali Number 2021 of 2020 from 19 December to 18 December 2020. Attachment of PCR test results is attached D-7 before departure.

"Passengers who come from areas without PCR test facilities are allowed to enter Bali provided that upon entering Bali, the officers will direct the passengers to take the PCR or antigen tests," said Regional Secretary of Bali Province Dewa Made Indra.

Third, Central Java. Central Java Governor Ganjar Prabowo requires travelers who come to Central Java to have the results of a rapid antigen test during the Christmas and New Year 2021 holidays.

"The rapid must be the antigen, the model is like a swab but see the results quickly. So if not, it's better not to travel first", said Ganjar.

Fourth, West Java. West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil also gave the conditions of ownership of the antigen rapid test results to tourists who enter his area during the year-end holiday season.

Fifth, the Governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, will also require all travelers who enter their territory to have the PCR rapid antigen or swab test results.

"That's a government regulation, yes, for those who travel in December, it is mandatory to go for rapid (antigen), for swab," said the Sultan during a press conference at the Kepatihan Complex, Yogyakarta, Friday, December 18.

Learn from the previous holiday season

Learning from the previous holiday seasons, such as during Eid Al-Fitr, Eid Al-Adha, and the Prophet's Birthday, the number of positive cases of COVID-19 has often increased due to the mobility of the population to stay in touch and travel.

"To prevent a similar incident from happening again, as a measure to anticipate and increase positive cases during the Christmas and New Year holidays, the government is currently formulating policies related to travel during the holiday period," said Wiku Adisasmito, spokesman for the COVID-19 Task Force.

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Considering that the rapid antigen test is a requirement for travel, the Ministry of Health and the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) set the highest price limit for the swab antigen rapid test.

The price for the rapid antigen test was determined because of complaints from the public regarding the different test prices at each hospital.

"The maximum tariff limit for an antigen rapid test is IDR 250 thousand in Java, outside Java, IDR 275 thousand. Antigen swabs are believed to have more accurate results than an antibody rapid test. According to the policy, this is done to prevent the transmission of the COVID-19 virus during the long Christmas holidays and New Year, "said Secretary of the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health, Azhar Jaya, Friday, December 18.

Is it effective in reducing the transmission of COVID-19?

Responding to this new policy, an epidemiologist from the University of Indonesia, Tri Yunis Miko Wahyono, admitted that the antigen rapid test can indeed detect the corona virus more accurately than the antibody rapid test.

The COVID-19 antigen rapid test is conducted to detect the presence of viral antigens in the body. This has been established by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"The antigen rapid test for screening has better accuracy than the rapid antibody test. There is still 20 percent inaccuracy for the rapid antibody test. This is only 5 to 10 percent," Miko told VOI, Friday, December 18.

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However, according to him, the rapid antigen screening test as a requirement for travelers only minimizes the risk of transmission on the way from the initial place to the destination.

Meanwhile, travelers can still have the potential to catch COVID-19 when they are active in their destination during the Christmas and New Year 2021 holidays.

"Once they reach their destination, it depends on each person. They still have a risk of transmission when he returns from his trip. You don't know, if the place he went to is a high risk of transmission of the corona virus or not," said Miko.

Therefore, according to Miko, the risk of increasing COVID-19 cases still exists even though the requirements for rapid antigen testing are enforced. This depends on the extent to which improved health protocols are implemented after the end of the year-end holiday season.

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