Portable Sanitation Association International

ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION APRIL 29, 2020 Page 2 Testing Can Have Multiple Meanings The word "testing" is often used today to mean: 1. the knowledge or know how to figure out if a sick person has COVID-19 or whether any person—sick or not— is capable of transmitting COVID-19; 2. the act of using materials such as swabs, reagents, and testing sites to get samples from people that are then examined for COVID-19; and 3. the process of using both #1 and #2 above to gather and interpret data about what is really happening in an identified environment like a job site, school, or town. Having a sound understanding of which tests should be used to support decisions is key as leaders discuss and develop processes to relax social distancing, address supply chain and logistics challenges, and make choices that may affect our portable sanitation businesses. Effective testing is also critical because it can save time and money. When we know how to avoid buying, using, and depending on the results of inaccurate and unreliable testing, everyone wins. Here are some basics to help you better evaluate information about testing for COVID-19. There Are Two Basic Categories of Testing for This Disease So far, health practitioners have employed two basic methods for determining whether or not an individual is infected with COVID-19. The first uses nasal swab to collect mucus samples and the second involves a blood test to check for antibodies. • Testing for infection. Experts say the nasal swab test is the best way to confirm someone is currently infected and can pass the virus onto others. This is the most valuable in the wider containment strategy known as "test, trace, isolate and track," which decision-makers have generally adopted to prevent the spread of the disease at rates that are unmanageable. A swab is inserted through the nose or mouth to get a sample of mucus from the nasopharynx, the part of the upper respiratory tract sitting behind the nose and in the throat. The swab is then put in a container where it is preserved until it can be examined at a lab. The lab looks for COVID-19 RNA, the genetic code of the actual virus. This test for infection can also help rule COVID-19 out if the person is sick with symptoms that look similar. The nasal swab test is particularly valuable because COVID-19 is detectable in the nose before antibodies can be detected in the blood. Thus, it can identify that a person is infected more quickly, allowing them to be isolated so that they are not infecting others before they're symptomatic. • Testing for antibodies. This test requires a blood sample that is analyzed to see if antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus—which causes COVID-19—are present. The antibodies show up as a person's immune system works to fight off the infection. Scientists think antibodies in the blood indicate the person has or recently had the illness. Two types of antibodies are involved in a body's response to the disease: IgM and IgG. They show up at different, overlapping times in the blood—sometimes up to three weeks from the time of infection according to the CDC. Since antibodies appear later than the virus that can be detected in a nose swab, this test isn't as effective for proactively stopping the spread of COVID-19. Continued on page 13 COVID-19 Testing and the Portable Sanitation Industry…continued from page 1

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