UN Medical Directors Guidance on COVID-19 Testing and Guidance on COVID-19 Vaccination for UN Personnel : UN Medical / OPSCEN

From: OPSCEN Operation Center <opscen@unicef.org>
Date: 24 November 2020 at 4:05:48 am AEDT
Subject: ALL STAFF: UN Medical Directors Guidance on COVID-19 Testing (inc. Antigen Tests) and Guidance on COVID-19 Vaccination for UN Personnel


Subject: UN Medical Directors Guidance on COVID-19 Testing (inc. Antigen Tests) and Guidance on COVID-19 Vaccination for UN Personnel

Dear Colleagues,

Please see here two important guidelines from the UN Medical Directors for your reference.


An updated UNMD guidance on “Testing Recommendations for UN Personnel”

Available at https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/coronavirus_testingrecsforunpersonnelandcontingents.pdf



Annex 1 describes how COVID-19 antigen rapid diagnostics tests (Ag-RDTs) should be utilized. In summary:


Ag-RDT tests used to diagnose COVID-19 infection must meet the minimum performance requirements of >80% sensitivity and >97% specificity.
Ag-RDTs that have received WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) for SARS-CoV-2 is available at https://www.who.int/teams/regulation-prequalification/eul (There are only 2 currently)
Ag-RDTs should be used only on symptomatic persons within the first 5-7 days of symptom onset.
Ag RDTs are not reliable in asymptomatic individuals, and should not be used for asymptomatic persons.
False negatives can occur. A negative Ag-RDT test result should ALWAYS be confirmed by a PCR test, regardless if the patient is symptomatic or not.
False positives are quite rare. Positive results therefore, in the setting of widespread community transmission, in a symptomatic individual, do not need confirmation by a RT-PCR test.


A new UNMD document on “Considerations and Recommendations with regards to COVID-19 Vaccinations for UN Personnel”

See document below or at:
https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/coronavirus_unmdstatementcovidvaccine.pdf


Dr. Esther Tan, MD MPH
Senior Medical Officer
Public Health Section
Division of Healthcare Management and Occupational Safety and Health
United Nations, New York
+1 917-353-5387 / tan2@un.org