“the Main question for me today: when you cancel the restrictions more than two months do not give to live a normal life?” – wrote in his blog today the mayor is announcing the launch of a new screening program. And he continues: “Decisions on the imposition or lifting of restrictions related to the pandemic coronavirus – the most difficult that I have to take in my entire life. The price of these solutions is the lives and health of people.” Reminds premature lifting of restrictions poses a real risk of the arrival of the second wave of the pandemic. Undue delay – is also the strongest hit people.
to make such decisions, you must have the most complete and accurate information about the real extent of morbidity and the rate of spread of the coronavirus.
In recent months, the city launched an unprecedented programme of testing for coronavirus. Every day dozens of Federal, municipal and private laboratories doing more than 40 thousand PCR tests. Just made more than 1.3 million tests, and then the testing machine will only gain momentum. Under the new rules employers operating enterprises should hold a weekly random testing of their employees.
Deployed a network of outpatient CT centers, which have already spent about 100 thousand light studies to identify viral pneumonia – the most important clinical manifestations of the disease.
But these methods are not enough. Because they don’t allow you to understand how many people have been ill, including asymptomatic. How many people have developed an immunity to the coronavirus.
And now – about the innovation. Another method of obtaining this information will be the study of population immunity testing (screening) Moscow residents for the presence of antibodies to the new coronavirus infection, says the mayor.
the Testing will be carried out with the ELISA method (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), which allows to detect the presence or absence in the blood of the patient IgM antibodies (a marker for the presence of coronavirus infection) and IgG (a marker of immunity to coronavirus infection).
For testing purposes the Government of Moscow has installed automatic blood analyzers. By the end of may the total capacity of the urban system ELISA testing will exceed 200 thousand tests per day.
This allows may 15, 2020, to start the implementation of screening programs – massive and free.
the Individual parts can still be refined, but overall it will work as follows.
1. Blood sampling for testing will be carried out in 30 adult clinics (average 3 in each administrative district).
every clinic will open 2 treatment rooms.
2. Every few days approximately 70 thousand Muscovites will receive an invitation to a free delivery analysisfor.
the Selection of residents will be carried out randomly in accordance with the age structure of the population of Moscow, and given the district of residence and invitation to be sent by e-mail or sms.
to donate blood, you will need to enroll online by clicking on the link in the invitation.
3. The results of the screening will be announced weekly in the city and in the context of administrative districts.
At any given time will be precisely known what proportion of the residents have been exposed to coronavirus and acquired immunity, how many people are infected or are suspected coronavirus. And most importantly – what is the real dynamics of the spread of infection.
These data will be published on the portal mos.ru and will be the basis for making management decisions related to the planning of the health system and the preservation or mitigation of existing restrictions.
And, of course, Muscovites, having the ELISA test, will receive information about your own immune status. Be taken, if needed clarifying, the PCR tests, diagnosed and treated. Potential carriers will be required to take sick leave and undergo self-imposed isolation.
In the near future will be developed a mechanism for rapid publication of the results of IFA test in the electronic medical record of patients.
Unprecedented in its scope the programme will help:
1). as soon as possible to identify the disease in many people, especially those who suffers from a coronavirus asymptomatic;
2) to obtain reliable information about the situation with the spread of the coronavirus in the city and on individual city businesses and organizations;
3) make informed decision on easing current restrictions, without jeopardizing the lives and health of people.
And, turning to the Muscovites, the mayor writes: “I beseech you, dear friends, the most responsible attitude to invitations to come to the clinic and undergo the ELISA test. Thus you will contribute to the victory over the coronavirus.
