Corona test: What are RDT and PCR?

Two methods of corona testing

The Kovid-19 epidemic has affected millions of people. Effective treatment is being sought, but not yet discovered. The spread of the infection has been rapid in Nepal recently. Complaints are growing in Nepal that the test itself is not effective.

There are two methods of corona testing in Nepal to find out if a person has a corona infection - PCR and RDT.

What is PCR?

PCR (Polymerized Chain Reaction) is a modern technology for detecting the genetic genes of a bacterium. It is being used to find out if there is a coronavirus infection in the body. PCR is used to test the protein by extracting a swab (nasal or throat fluid) sample.

The PCR method quickly copies millions to billions of specific DNA samples. This will help scientists to take the smallest sample of DNA and study it in detail. PCR was invented in 1983 by American biologist Kerry Mullis at Sets Corporation. This is the basic method for genetic testing, including analysis of old DNA samples and the identification of infectious agents. PCR has now become a common and often indispensable technology, used in medical and clinical laboratories in a wide range of research in biomedical medicine and criminal forensics.

Simply put, PCR detects viruses in the body. Therefore, it is considered reliable for coronavirus testing. According to experts, the PCR test is best done within 10 days of the week of infection. After 10 days, the actual results may not come from the PCR test method.

PCR helps to detect any bacterium, not just the corona. Its main function is to detect the gene of the target bacterium. This method has been found to give more than 70 percent correct results.

What is RDT?

RDT (Rapid Diagnostic Test) is a medical diagnostic test, which is quick and easy. It is used for initial or emergency medical examination. Blood is drawn from the body and the test results can be seen in 20 to 25 minutes.

It is being used to detect disease-fighting antibodies in the body. Corona's RDT test is not effective in Nepal, raising questions about its reliability. The WHO also does not consider this method reliable for corona testing. Experts say that it is best to use it only for general surveys.

Different results of RDT and PCR

The results of RDT and PCR in Nepal so far have been very different. Why does this happen? Infectious Diseases Specialist of Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Diseases Hospital, Dr. According to Sher Bahadur Pun, the results also depend on the time of testing of the infected. He says, ‘RDT only shows up after about 12 days of infection. It does not show if you have just been infected. The PCR shows up when checking. '

He says the type of antibody also varies with the test results. There are two types of antibodies, IGN and IgG. If IGN is seen, it means that there is a new infection. It appears on the PCR ', he explains,' IgG may not show on the PCR. As it appears after about two weeks, it does not appear on the PCR test. '

According to him, the PCR test is positive in the newly infected person and the RDT is negative. However, testing 10 days after infection can show PCR negative and RDT positive.

(With agency support)

Huawei has risen to number two in the smartwatch market, overtaking Samsung

Chinese technology company Huawei is second only to Samsung in the global smartphone market. But in the smartwatch market, Huawei has managed to overtake Samsung.

Huawei's wearable market share has been growing rapidly since the beginning of 2020. According to a recent Wearable Device Tracker report released by the International Data Corporation, Huawei has overtaken Samsung in the market for wearables, including smartwatches and wireless earphones.

Apple remains at the top of the wearables market. Samsung has dropped to third place with Huawei rising to second place.

According to the IDC report, 72.6 million wearable devices were sold in the first quarter of 2020. This is 29.7 percent more than the same period last year. Huawei sold 62.20 percent more wearables in the first quarter of this year than in the same period last year.

In the first three months of 2020 alone, 16.9 million smartwatches were sold worldwide. However, this number is 7.1 percent lower than last year. During this period, Huawei has sold 2.6 million smartwatches.

Huawei sold 118.5 percent more smartwatches in the same quarter last year. At the same time, Huawei has become the only company to sell 100 percent more smartwatches in the first quarter of 2020 than last year. Agency

Facebook bans advertising in Chinese and Russian media

The social networking site Facebook has banned Chinese and Russian state-run media outlets from targeting US users.

Russia and China, along with other government-controlled media outlets, have announced that they will begin "naming government" on Facebook platforms and will ban US-targeted advertising on such media outlets from next summer.

Facebook's official media outlets include Russia's Sputnik, Iran's Press TV and China's Xinhua. Two hundred other similar government media websites will be labeled as government.

However, Facebook will not immediately "label" any US news organization. Facebook claims that even the media run by the US government has editorial freedom.

In the 2016 US presidential election, Facebook was criticized by Russians for abusing Facebook and influencing the election results. Facebook has already admitted its weakness in the incident. Learning from the same incident, Facebook is taking strong steps to prevent the misuse of Facebook by countries including China and the United States to influence the upcoming US presidential election. Facebook has adopted a policy of strict transparency in pages and advertisements for publishing advertisements on its platform.

Remember that the US presidential election is taking place next November.

The listing of state-controlled media, including China and Russia, does not include media run by any leader or political party.

China, meanwhile, has criticized Facebook's move. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman told a news conference on Friday that social media companies should not create certain media barriers.

Russian media outlet Sputnik has issued a statement calling on governments around the world to take control of Facebook, a US-led operation to curb freedom of speech.

However, Facebook is not alone in treating state-controlled media differently. In 2018, YouTube began identifying government-invested YouTube channels. However, critics say YouTube has failed to identify some government-controlled YouTube channels that contain false propaganda news and information videos.

With Facebook's decision to label government-controlled media, there will now be signs of government control on the pages and news feed posts of such media that appear on Facebook.

Having an online meeting? Voice call or other charges!

Due to the global impact of coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the practice of people doing many things online through the internet has increased. One of them is online meeting and conferencing through various apps.

Nowadays, the use of online classes, online meetings and video conferencing for school and campus students has increased widely, whether it is online meetings, video calls in groups with relatives, family members, relatives at home or abroad.

There are many apps and platforms available on the Internet for online meetings. Meetings or conferences can be held from most of the platforms using the internet without any charge other than the internet. However, online meetings from some premium apps or software may incur additional charges.

Before using the online conferencing platform for your meetings or conversations, you need to look closely at the terms of the respective apps or platforms. Dialing international numbers for meetings or dialing international numbers from the respective service provider's customer service center may incur voice call charges or other charges.

Recently, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), India's telecom regulator, said caution should be exercised when using online meeting platforms, saying customers' voice service bills could rise unexpectedly. According to him, on such platforms, customers have been complaining about the charges for voice calls when they unknowingly call international numbers.

In Nepal too, the use of such online meeting platforms for various purposes is on the rise. In the current situation, mobile customers and users need to understand the charges related to the numbers and helplines associated with such platforms. Otherwise, there is a risk that in the case of prepaid customers, the balance from mobile may decrease and in case of postpaid, more bills may come.

Telecom company Ncell has also asked its customers to be vigilant during the increasing trend of online meetings. The company has advised its customers to be aware of this from their Facebook page and to check the terms and conditions while using such platforms.

Since such online meeting platforms and service providers' respective workplaces and customer service centers are located abroad, their numbers are premium or international. Of course, calling such numbers for information, knowingly or unknowingly, may incur higher charges for calling a premium number or international calls.