PCR tests to detect COVID-19 will no longer be taken in people between the ages of 3 and 60 | Health

Besides changes in insulation, now reduced to 7 days , the Ministry of Health announced modifications in the taking of PCR tests to detect SARS-coV-2.

Health authorities announced that from now on PCR tests will not be mandatory in people between 3 and 60 years oldThis is because they consider that the symptoms alone are evidence of infection.

According to the director of epidemiology and demography of the Ministry of Health, Julián Fernández, “The tests will be prioritized given the high demand in those people who are older than 60 years, children under 3, or those who have risk factors”.

Bear in mind that the population with comorbidities will also be prioritized when taking samples.

Those who present symptoms and have comorbidities, explained the Ministry, should resort to the EPS so that the respective follow-up is carried out and the PCR test is taken.

According to Ramírez, the changes adopted by the Ministry of Health are due to changes in the virus: “ The pandemic has changed so strategies have to change ”.

For his part, the infectologist José Millán Oñate explains that the change in both taking PCR tests and in the days of isolation is due to the increase in immunity in the population.

But nevertheless, There are experts who believe that the new measures will be counterproductive. “ Some will assume that since they were not tested they have a common cold. ”, Affirms the epidemiologist Jaime Ordóñez.

Meanwhile, the Association of Emergency Specialists considers that during the Reyes bridge the cases will increase and highlights the importance of taking more PCR tests in risk areas and, likewise, strengthening vaccination.