International Journal of Current Research and Review | 2021
Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Rapid Diagnostic Test Antibody, Serological Test, ReverseTranscribed Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and Hematology in Non-Severe Covid-19 Patients
Abstract
Introduction: COVID-19 is a zoonotic disease caused by a coronavirus which is similar to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which can spread mainly from person to person through droplets from the nose or mouth through coughing, sneezing or talking and inhaling droplets from an infected person. Antibody Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) is a simple, inexpensive and efficient screening kit. It employs whole blood or serum/blood plasma samples as a humoral immunological response. If the result is reactive then it will be followed by a Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) examination. Evaluation of the haematological profile of COVID-19 patients is also important for patients with mild or no symptoms. Aims: To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of RDT Antibody, serological testing, RT-PCR and haematology in non-severe covid-19 patients. Methodology: The study design was a cross-sectional study that was conducted from October to December 2020 in several hospitals in the city of Kupang which treated patients with mild or no symptoms. Research respondents were 34 subjects who had agreed and signed the informed consent. The subjects were taken their blood samples for RDT antibody examination using blood serum (taken from centrifuged whole blood and separated the blood serum), where the reactive results on RDT antibodies must be followed by confirmatory or diagnostic tests which are the nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs for reversetranscribed Polymerase Chain Reaction(RT-PCR)examination. Furthermore, for the LED examination which is the Complete Hematology, 3 ml of whole blood was taken and then processed. Results: The comparison between RDT antibody and SARS CoV2 serology was 73.5%. While RDT and the RT-PCR results of 47.1%; and RT-PCR with serology was 70.6%. Conclusion: RDT antibody and serology SARS COV2 detect the presence of antibodies that have been formed by the body approximately 1-2 weeks after the acute infection. RT-PCR is the best diagnostic to detect the presence of the virus in the respiratory tract during acute infection and is followed by the patient’s clinical condition. Haematological analysis shows the prognostic and severity of COVID19 patients. Patients with mild symptoms / no symptoms do not have much difference in haematology results than normal people.