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Coronavirus: Commission steps up actions on testing with a recommendation on rapid antigen tests and support to increase testing capacity

Wednesday, 18 November 2020
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Coronavirus: Commission steps up actions on testing with a recommendation on rapid antigen tests and support to increase testing capacity

 

On 18 November 2020, the European Commission adopted a recommendation on the use of rapid antigen tests for the diagnosis of COVID-19. This follows the Commission's recommendation on 28 October to ensure a common approach and more efficient testing strategies across the EU. It builds on the guidance developed with Member States input and expert advice from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

The recommendation provides guidance on how to select rapid antigen tests, when they are appropriate and who should perform them. It also calls for validation and mutual recognition of tests and their results. This comes ahead of the European Leaders' virtual meeting on 19 November on the EU response to the COVID-19 pandemic, following the 29 October European Council, where it was agreed to coordinate more on testing methods.

The Commission has also signed an agreement with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies  (IFRC) contributing €35.5 million, financed by the Emergency Support Instrument (ESI), to scale up COVID-19 testing capacity in the EU. The funding will be used to support training of staff for sampling collection and analysis and performance of tests, especially via mobile equipment.

Click here to read more on the Commission's website.