Chaos in the test strip market and concerns about uncontrolled waste

Although test strips (also known as SARS-CoV-2 virus antigen rapid tests) are medical supplies that must be licensed for circulation by the Ministry of Health, recently, in addition to being sold at medical supply stores, this item has been sold almost everywhere on social networking sites, with many different prices, making people feel really confused.

A test strip sales fair was set up on Facebook. Photo: Tien Dong

Since the Covid-19 epidemic broke out again, due to her job of frequently going out, going to the market and coming into contact with crowded places, Ms. Ngo Ngoc Anh (residing in Truong Thi ward) went to the pharmacy to buy a box of test strips.rapid Covid-19 testHowever, what she was concerned about was that the same type of Covid-19 rapid test strip, which she had bought at a pharmacy the day before for 75,000 VND/set, was being sold the next day for just over 50,000 VND/set, and some even sold it for 40,000 VND/set.

"I don't know which one is real and which one is fake" - Ms. Anh said.

Currently, almost every pharmacy and medical supply store sells Covid-19 test strips. Photo: Tien Dong

Ms. Tran Thi Ha (teacher, residing in Quang Trung ward) is even more careful when buying many types of test strips to use, including Chinese, Korean and French ones.

Ms. Ha said: "When I went to the pharmacy to buy, they also advised me which type to buy and how sensitive it was. However, when I got home, I saw that they were selling many other types online. There was even a teacher at school who advertised the type ordered from abroad, and the price was cheaper than the type bought at the pharmacy, so I bought more. Actually, I don't know if it's accurate or not."

Ms. Ha said that the day after Tet, seeing the number of cases was so high, after each school day, she asked her family to swab her nose for testing.

Currently, many types of test strips are licensed for circulation, making people feel lost in a maze of test strips. Photo: Tien Dong

Due to the increased demand for test strips, almost every drug and medical supply store imports test strips and masks to sell. Many social media users also post ads to sell test strips.

From officials, workers, civil servants, online sellers, to teachers, even people who specialize in selling vegetables, fruits, and food also sell test strips.

People go to buy test strips. Photo: Tien Dong

However, the worrying thing is that when performing Covid-19 tests at medical facilities, the materials used for the test are classified and put into specialized bags and destroyed after completion. However, when performing rapid tests at home, how these tools are handled is important.

Ms. H (residing in Ben Thuy ward), just recoveredCovid-19When asked how she dealt with the test strips and supplies during her illness, she was quite surprised by the issue we mentioned. Ms. H did not even remember how she disposed of the trash on the first day the test result was positive.

The most worrying thing now is that many people buy test strips to take home, and when they discover they have Covid-19, they then throw away the waste and samples with household waste. Photo: Tien Dong

It can be seen that allowing rapid testing and treatment of Covid at home is a policy suitable for the current situation. Although the epidemic is breaking out, because of the second and third doses of the vaccine, the disease is not too severe, and many people can recover within 5-7 days.

According to many medical experts, it is inevitable that people are worried about buying test strips themselves, but it is important to choose to buy test strips that ensure quality, and at the same time, it is necessary to handle waste carefully and strictly to avoid the SARS-CoV-2 virus from spreading to the surrounding environment.

On December 28, 2021, the Ministry of Health issued an official dispatch allowing localities and units to use rapid antigen test results to identify Covid-19 cases. After the rapid test is completed, all used testing materials are considered infectious waste and must be collected and disposed of according to regulations. Waste is collected in a yellow bag, the bag's mouth is tied tightly, and the bag's mouth is put into another yellow bag, which is then tied tightly. These bags must be labeled "Waste at risk of containing SARS-CoV-2", placed in a fixed place and notified to the local authorities for collection and disposal according to regulations for infectious waste. Used testing materials must not be mixed with regular household waste.