Tag: Ag RDTs

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RFP: Innovations in COVID-19 Antigen RDT Rollout in Underserved Populations

Street scene outside the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, Delhi.December 2017Photo credit: FIND / Ben Phillips

Searching for innovative ways to implement screening programmes for SARS-CoV-2 in underserved communities,  the ACT-Accelerator, FIND and IRD Global issued this request for proposals in May 2021.

The focus of the programmes was low- and middle-income countries. Globally stark inequities exist, with these countries not having adequate access to diagnostics during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator is a global collaboration focused on accelerating the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. 

FIND is a global non-profit organization focusing on diagnostics for major diseases, and IRD Global is a global health delivery and research organization.

The project was projected to involve customizing training materials, conducting training and proficiency assessment of trainees, and implementing and monitoring testing programmes within local policies and guidelines. 

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Project of COVID-19 active case finding using antigen rapid diagnostic tests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The rollout in Africa of new World Health Organization (WHO)-approved SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test (Ag-RDTs) has significantly increased screening capacity in some African countries, like Zimbabwe and Rwanda, marking a real turning point in the fight against COVID-19 in the Africa region. Although the DRC is considered a pioneer in scaling up the use of Ag-RDTs through health facility and community-based COVID-19 active case finding, testing capacity remains very low, with a current average of 1.5 tests carried out per 10,000 population per week, against a standard of at least 10 tests per 10,000 per week. 

Given this low screening capacity, it is clear that there is under-reporting of COVID-19 cases. According to WHO AFRO estimates, only 1 in 7 cases would be detected in DRC. In an attempt to improve the case detection rate, the Ministry of Health, with the technical and financial support from the WHO DRC country office, has implemented since January 2021 an innovative pilot project for active case finding of COVID-19 using Ag-RDT screening in the community and in health facilities. This project is currently operational in 37 active health zones in 8 of the most affected provinces. 

This report presents the cumulative results obtained, lessons learned, challenges, and future prospects after 9 months of implementation (January to September 2021) of the activities of this pilot strategy of active COVID-19 case findings in the DRC community using Ag-RDTs. This report marks the official end of the GAVI (Phase I) and FIND (Phase II) funding. 

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Monitored Implementation of COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Screening at Taxi Ranks in Johannesburg, South Africa

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of many innovations, including digital solutions to support access to diagnostics. These digital tools can be used by countries to expand support community-based testing and lessen the need to travel distances to clinical settings by moving testing meet patients where they are. 

This operational research study examines the utility of rapid diagnostics tests (RDTs) for COVID-19 detection in combination with an end-to-end digital health solution.This study took place between June and September 2021 at three local taxi ranks  in Johannesburg, South Africa. Over 15,000 members of the public were screened for COVID-19 risk factors via a digital questionnaire. Overall, the usage of the digital tool combined with RDTs were shown to improve decentralized service delivery, results reporting, and follow-up of COVID-19 testing at the community level. 

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Resource Centre - Media & Press

The Global Fund Achieves Significant Price Reductions for Antigen Rapid Diagnostic Tests (Ag RDTs)

A new agreement reached by the Global Fund and several producers of COVID-19 antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag RDTs) has resulted in a significant drop in the price of these tests, potentially making the products more affordable for many governments of low- and middle-income countries.
This announcement from the Global Fund, co-convenors of the ACT-A Diagnostics Pillar alongside FIND, ensures that the COVID-19 diagnostics produced by these quality-assured suppliers will be available at game-changing prices ranging from US$1.00 to US$2.00 per test or less. These developments have the potential to shift the diagnostics market and make testing more accessible.

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Featured Work - Research & Development

Landscape of RDT-reading apps

Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) based on lateral flow assays have emerged as important diagnostic tools in the management of diseases such as malaria and COVID-19. However, errors can arise when individuals perform these tests and interpret their results. Mobile smartphone applications (apps) for reading RDTs offer a promising option to improve the accuracy of the interpretation of test results. This has been demonstrated with hardware RDT readers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). With apps, however, no additional hardware is needed, apart from a smartphone. Such smartphones are already becoming widely available, avoiding cost, supply chain, and maintenance concerns that would occur if new hardware needed to be deployed to read RDTs. 

The aim of this report is to share a summary of publicly available information about mobile applications for reading RDTs. The focus is on RDT-reading apps that do not require additional hardware beyond a mobile device (meaning a smartphone or tablet) and the RDT kit. Apps for diseases of poverty and low-resource settings are of particular interest, but the report also includes other apps, to support an understanding of this industry overall.

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WHO interim guidance: antigen-detection in the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection

This is an interim guidance published by the World Health Organization on how to select rapid antigen tests and when and where to use them.

Rapid antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 are less expensive and faster. They should be used for primary case detection in symptomatic individuals and asymptomatic individuals who are at high risk of COVID-19, such as health workers. 

The tests should also be used for contact tracing, conducting outbreak investigations, and to monitor trends of disease incidence in communities. 

There are some variations in test performance, but these tests are very much suitable in track, trace, and isolate programmes aimed at interrupting community transmission.

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Featured Work - Quality Assurance & Policy

WHO interim guidance: Use of SARS-CoV-2 antigen-detection rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19 self-testing 

In March 2022, the World Health Organization published its first guide to self-testing for COVID-19 using rapid antigen tests.

“The goal is to contribute to the effective management of COVID-19 as a public health problem,” their guidelines read.

The document emphasizes  that this option must be offered in addition to professionally administered testing.

WHO further explains that there is evidence showing users can use self-tests in a reliable and accurate manner, and that it is both acceptable and feasible to use the tests.

An explanation of when self-testing will be appropriate must be provided, as must complete instructions tailored for country specific contexts.

Clear messaging is also needed on what to do with the results of a test and what individual responsibilities will be.

Other recommendations include:

  • COVID-19 self-test kits should meet the existing World Health Organization (WHO) standards.
  • Self-tests should be accepted for screening and diagnostic purposes.
  • If positive, a self-test should, if appropriate in a country-specific context, be sufficient to link a positive-tested patient with clinical care and therapeutics. 
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SARS-CoV-2 antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic tests: An implementation guide

This guide, produced by FIND and the World Health Organization, provides information on implementing diagnostic programs using rapid antigen tests. 

It shows how rapid antigen testing can be implemented to support individual case management, contact tracing, surveillance and outbreak investigations.

The guide stresses the use of strict testing protocols and clear communication, and the need to protect healthcare workers against transmission. 

It outlines the different types of available testing  and where rapid antigen testing fits in. Rapid antigen tests are used to find a protein the body produces in response to an infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

It produces fast results and is easy to use in low-resource settings where laboratories are unavailable. 

The guide provides step-by-step instructions on the use of these tests and how best to communicate and follow up on patients after a test result is obtained. 

It also explains the best practice of testing within 5 to 7 days of the onset of symptoms. 

While rapid tests are easy to use in most instances, the guide lists where they should not be used. 

This includes testing patients without symptoms unless they are a close contact of a confirmed case; where there are no appropriate infection control measures in place; where test results will not influence the treatment of the patients and for screening at points of entry.

The use of rapid antigen tests is also not advised  prior to elective surgery or blood donation.

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Featured Work - Manufacturing

COVID-19 diagnostics: preserving manufacturing capacity for future pandemics

Manufacturing capacity for diagnostics increased at a rapid rate during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is estimated to have grown by 200% since the onset of the pandemic. Sustaining this expanded capacity over the long term will require coordinated strategies to ensure the progress made in recent years is not lost. 


The authors of this commentary piece, representing the ACT-A Diagnostics Partnership, suggest strategies which could be implemented to preserve manufacturing capacity in the face of future pandemic threats.

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Africa CDC, FIND Partner to Build Capacity for COVID-19 Rapid Diagnostic Tests in Africa

New partnership to prepare for rapid antigen testing in Africa

On September 11, 2022 the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) announced a new partnership to prepare for the introduction of new high quality antigen rapid diagnostic tests for Covid-19 over the next three years.

Fast and reliable testing has emerged as a cornerstone of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic but has only sometimes been available to African countries during the pandemic. 

Access to diagnostics also presents a significant hurdle in the fight against Covid-19 and other diseases, including TB and malaria.

Regulatory interventions have smoothed out the supply of accurate and fast antigen tests, but it has now become necessary to build capacity to ensure a speedy rollout.

While there have always been global inequities in accessing diagnostics, these became clearer and worse during the Covid-19 pandemic, with supply chain wars and quality issues impacting heavily on the situation.

In response to the announcement Dr. John Nkengasong, Director of Africa CDC, stressed the importance of fast and accurate results so that patients can be isolated and health workers can trace close contacts, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).